Stroke Research Analysis

Q: What exactly should I eat to adhere to the DASH diet?

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the DASH diet recommends eating vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, including fat-free or low-fat dairy products, fish, poultry, beans, nuts, and vegetable oils; limiting foods that are high in saturated fat (e.g., fatty meats, full-fat dairy products, and tropical oils like coconut, palm kernel and palm oils); and limiting sweets and sugar-sweetened beverages. A 2,000 kcal daily diet would include 6-8 servings of grains, 6 or less servings of meat, poultry or fish, 4-5 servings of vegetables, 4-5 servings of fruit, 2-3 servings of low fat or fat-free dairy products, 2-3 servings of fats and oils, and either 2,300 milligrams of sodium or 1,500 milligrams of sodium, which is roughly half[7] of what the typical American consumes. In addition, the diet would include 4-5 weekly servings of nuts, beans, seeds, or peas and 5 or less servings of sweets.

Q: What does the Mediterranean diet include?

A typical Mediterranean-style diet, as defined by the Fundación Dieta Mediterránea, primarily consists of unprocessed foods (fruits, vegetables, whole-grain products) and moderate amounts of fish, olive oil, and dairy products. Also, small amounts of lean meat are recommended. While the traditional Mediterranean diet of the 1960s included more than 200 grams of meat per day[8] in certain regions, study participants of the emblematic PREDIMED study[9] reported an average of 120 grams of meat per day, which is about 70% higher than the current U.S. intake (about 71 grams per day) and seven times the amount recommended by the Mediterranean Diet Pyramid[10] (less than 120 grams per week).

Marina Shkayeva

Stroke

•Last Updated: August 16, 2022

A stroke is a medical emergency. If you are experiencing stroke symptoms, call emergency medical services, even if they resolve quickly. This page does not discuss acute treatments for stroke, but rather focuses on mitigating the risk of having a stroke and supporting recovery from a stroke.

Lifestyle and dietary habits that keep your blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol levels, and your weight in check, can help to reduce the risk of stroke.

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Stroke falls under theCardiovascular HealthandHealthy Aging & Longevitycategories.

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Marina Shkayeva, PharmD

:

Nick Milazzo, MSc, MPH

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Rob Stenstrom, MD, PhD

Last Updated:August 16, 2022

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Frequently asked questions
References

What is a stroke?

A stroke (cerebrovascular accident) happens when there is a loss of blood flow to a section of the brain, which, in 87% of cases occurs due to blood clot (ischemic stroke) and in 13% of cases occurs due to bleeding in the brain (hemorrhagic stroke). When blood flow is lost, not enough oxygen and nutrients get to brain cells, which start to die in minutes. Strokes that are not caught and treated quickly can result in death, brain damage, and/or disability. Sometimes, stroke symptoms will resolve within minutes to hours of onset; this is known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA) and is a strong risk factor for stroke. ^[1]

What are the main signs and symptoms of a stroke?

Symptoms of stroke can vary from person to person and depend on the type of stroke and the area of the brain affected. One common similarity is that these symptoms start suddenly about 96% of the time.^[2] Some common symptoms include:

Dizziness
Falling
Loss of balance
One-sided weakness or numbness in an arm, leg or the face
Slurred speech and trouble speaking
Trouble seeing clearly/double vision
Headache
Nausea and/or vomiting
Abnormal and uncoordinated movements

How is a stroke diagnosed?

A health care provider will diagnose a stroke based on signs and symptoms, medical history, and diagnostic scans to image the brain (CT or MRI scans). The provider checks a person’s alertness, coordination/balance, sensation and strength in certain body parts, and any difficulties seeing. Sometimes additional tests of the heart (electrocardiogram and/or an echocardiography) are done to search for blood clots and other problems.^[1]

How is a stroke managed medically?

Medical treatments of stroke can be split up into 3 categories.^[1]

Acute treatment is usually performed at the hospital to mitigate a stroke while it is happening; to learn more, see the CDC page for stroke treatments.
Post-stroke rehabilitation, to reduce disabilities after the stroke has been stopped, can include physical therapy, speech therapy, psychotherapy, and more.
Preventative treatments, to reduce stroke recurrence, includes various medications, and healthy lifestyle changes, such as quitting smoking, losing weight, and lowering blood pressure and lipid levels.

Have any supplements been studied for stroke recovery and prevention?

Certain dietary supplements have been studied for stroke recovery and prevention. Multivitamins and nutrients like vitamin D, calcium, and vitamin C do not seem to prevent stroke. However, folic acid and B vitamin complex do seem to reduce the risk of stroke, especially in geographic locations that lack folic acid food fortification.^[3] Fewer supplements, such as ginkgo and astragalus, have been studied for stroke recovery and evidence is inconclusive at best.^[4]^[5]

How could diet affect strokes?

A healthy diet plays a role in reducing the risk of a recurrent or first time stroke, while an unhealthy diet can increase the risk of stroke. Being overweight increases the risk of stroke. In general, a healthy diet is low in saturated fats, sodium, and sugar while being high in fresh fruit, vegetables, and whole grains. Examples of heart healthy diets include the DASH diet, the Mediterranean diet, and certain vegetarian diets.^[6]

What exactly should I eat to adhere to the DASH diet?

What does the Mediterranean diet include?

Are there any other treatments for stroke recovery and prevention?

Behaviors and interventions that help to control high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol can also help prevent stroke. For example, regular exercise, stress reduction, and maintaining a healthy weight can help to reduce the risk of stroke.^[1]

What causes a stroke?

A stroke is caused by either a blood clot (ischemic stroke) or a bleed (hemorrhagic stroke) inside the brain. Many conditions can increase the risk of stroke over time, especially if they are not properly treated. While the main condition that increases the risk for stroke is uncontrolled high blood pressure, conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and atrial fibrillation (irregular heart beat) also increase risk. Other risk factors for stroke include smoking, past history of stroke or transient ischemic attack, elderly age, African American race, substance use, unhealthy diet, and insufficient exercise.^[1]

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