The vegetarians tended to emphasise more nuts and vegetables in their diet and consumed less dairy than non-vegetarians.
In the second group, a total of 121 strokes were recorded, which included both ischemic and haemorrhagic stroke.
This time, 24 strokes occurred among 2,719 vegetarians, compared to 97 among 5,582 non-vegetarians.
After adjusting for other factors, researchers found vegetarians in this group had a 48 percent lower risk of overall stroke than their non-vegetarian counterparts.