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Fried chicken. Cornbread. Sweet tea.

It may seem like Southern fried foods would be a heart attack on a plate. However, research has indicated that the cuisine may even be worse than you think. The study found that the Southern diet drastically boosted the risk of a stroke by up to 63 percent. Worse, researchers found that people who ate a large amount of Southern fried foods were not able to cancel out their risk with exercise.

The study was conducted in part by using telephone questionnaires with participants from 48  of the United States. The study, called the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS), has been taking place since 2003. Survey respondents were evenly divided between men and women, with the minimum age of participants being 45 years old.

Each of the over 20,000 black and white participants also needed to take a medical assessment that recorded their height, weight and blood pressure. Participants also needed an electrocardiogram and blood test. Every six months, the respondents received a telephone call about their overall health, including their sleep patterns and any strokes they may have had. The researchers also created a mathematical model that scored foods according to the type into which they fell.

The researchers found that people who lived in the Southeastern United States were 20 percent more likely to suffer from a stroke than individuals who lived elsewhere. That was not altogether surprising, considering that, as the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute puts it, Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia is also known as the "Stroke Belt".

The study found that people who ate Southern foods about six times a week had a stroke risk that was 41 times that of people who ate them only once a month. That risk was even higher for African Americans; the Southern diet accounted for 63 percent of the reason why stroke risk was higher among African American individuals. African Americans were 5 times more likely than white Americans to eat Southern foods regularly, and African Americans were twice as likely to have a first-time stroke than white Americans.

"We've got three major factors working together in the Southern-style diet to raise risks of cardiovascular disease: fatty foods are high in cholesterol, sugary drinks are linked to diabetes and salty foods lead to high blood pressure," researcher Suzanne Judd said in a statement. ABC News reports that the risk remained for people who ate the Southern diet, even if they exercised.

However, the report was not all bad. The Southern diet consists of some good foods, like collard greens. People who ate fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains regularly had a 29 percent decreased risk of a stroke.

CBS News reports that 750,000 Americans suffer from a stroke each year. Of those, 130,000 Americans die from a stroke annually.

The study was presented at the International Stroke Conference, hosted by the American Stroke Association.