MedPage Today -- Eating a diet high in antioxidants may protect against ischemic stroke, an Italian cohort study showed.People who had a diet high in total antioxidant capacity -- an index that takes into account several different antioxidants and their interactions -- had a 59% reduced relative risk of ischemic stroke (HR 0.41, 95% CI 0.23 to 0.74), according to Nicoletta Pellegrini, PhD, of the University of Parma in Italy, and colleagues.