I’m with you; I wonder if they included women who were taking oral contraceptives/hormone replacement therapy - both of which can VASTLY increase one’s risk of stroke...
I have a feeling that's exactly it, too. I have a friend who never smoked or drank, wasn't obese, but was on the pill for over thirty years. She got high blood pressure, phlebitis, and also had a stroke.
That is what I was wondering too. Those two hormonal medications may be the link, not belly fat.
At the risk of getting ‘super’ flamed for this one...environmental factors that could play into this study is the increased use of ‘bottled water’ and the xenoestrogens leached into the water.
See the National Exposure Report from the CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/exposurereport/environmental_phenols1.htm#FullText