Optimal diet for stroke prevention

A review published in Seminars in Neurology has found evidence suggesting that a diet full of plant-…

A review published in Seminars in Neurology has found evidence suggesting that a diet full of plant-derived or based foods and some fatty fish may be the best for
the prevention of stroke, one of the major killers in the United States.

The review conducted by Eric L. Ding and Dariush Mozaffarian from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts included 121 experimental, observational, and clinical studies of dietary factors including minerals fats, cholesterol, fish, animal protein, whole grains, fiber, carbohydrate quality, antioxidants, B vitamins, fruit and vegetables and dietary patterns and the risk of stroke or hypertension, which is a major modifiable stroke risk factor.

The review has found the following:

Evidence is strong that diet with low sodium and high potassium, which is linked to lower blood pressure, is likely to reduce stroke risk.

Evidence is strong that fruit and vegetables, whole grains, folate, and fatty fish, which is high in omega-3 fatty acids, when consumed are each likely to reduce the stroke risk.

Evidence is strong that a prudent or traditional Mediterranean diet, which is comprised of Fruit and vegetables, whole grains, folate, and fatty fish, legumes and olive oil, may also help prevent stroke.

Evidence remains limited or inconsistent regarding "optimal levels of dietary magnesium, calcium, antioxidants, total fat, other fat subtypes, cholesterol, carbohydrate quality, or animal protein for stroke prevention."

In summary, the review suggests that "a diet low in sodium, high in potassium, and rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, cereal fiber, and fatty fish will likely reduce the incidence of stroke."

It should be noted that the preventative diet is largely based on plant-derived foods indicating that eating animal-based foods like meat and dairy products may increase the risk for stroke.

Actually earlier this year, Indian scientists published a study in Nutritional Neuroscience to suggest that consumption of milk and other dairy products may boost the stroke risk.

A. Mangat and colleagues, authors of the study investigated the diet patterns of 210 patients who suffered stroke and found almost 98 % of patients consumed milk and milk-based products and all other foods are not consistently consumed by the patients. In contrast, the stroke patients much less fruits.