Why stroke patients need targeted nutritional intervention for optimal recovery
Stroke occurs in around one in four people over the age of 25. The effects can be severe, which is why rehabilitation is so important. Now, a Danone Research & Innovation (R&I) study has concluded that blood nutrient status can be a major obstacle to good recovery in stroke patients. Here, our experts explain why this is the case – and how providing targeted nutritional support could lead to better post-stroke outcomes for people all around the world.
Enabling better patient outcomes after stroke
Good nutrition is key to our health at the best of times, but it’s especially important for people recovering from medical conditions and events like stroke. The challenge, however, is that the nutritional status of stroke patients is often impaired.
“People might be admitted with malnourishment if they have unhealthy dietary habits or use certain medications,” explains Laus Broersen, Principal Scientist, Danone R&I. “Alternatively, they might become malnourished during their recovery, if they have swallowing problems such as dysphagia or a reduced ability to self-feed. Whatever the cause, malnourishment is associated with poor post-stroke outcomes including reduced functional improvement, increased complication rates, and prolonged hospital stays.”
Investigating the nutrients that matter most
To dig deeper into the problem and identify possible solutions, Laus and five colleagues from Danone R&I’s Neuroscience, Data Science, and Stroke teams carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of relevant literature. In 2023, their paper was published in Frontiers in Stroke, sharing their important conclusions with the international scientific community.
“Our findings indicate that stroke patients’ blood contains lower levels of certain nutrients that are involved in repair processes compared to control subjects,” says Nick van Wijk, Senior Scientist, Danone R&I.
The nutrients in question include folate; vitamins B12, C, and E; the omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA; selenium; CoQ10; and choline. “At a time when patients are experiencing oxidative stress and inflammation, some of these nutrients act as antioxidants,” continues Nick. “Others are important in the biosynthesis of phospholipids, the building blocks of neuronal membranes. Insufficiencies in these nutrients can therefore affect people’s recovery from stroke and other types of damage to the central nervous system.”
The need for targeted nutritional intervention
Gathering this information is one thing – but applying it to improve health outcomes is another. So what are the next steps, according to Danone R&I’s researchers?
“Knowing which nutrients should be targeted is crucial: it means we’re better able to design targeted nutritional interventions to fully support multidisciplinary rehabilitation strategies for stroke patients,” Laus says. “It’s clear from our study that people need adequate nutritional support that addresses condition-specific insufficiencies in these nutrients. We hope our results will help in the development of tailored nutritional products for neuro-rehabilitation, aimed at supporting optimal functional recovery.”
As such, the paper marks another important step forward in Danone R&I’s journey to bring health to as many people as possible through nutrition. Click here to discover how we use our insights to accelerate the development of cutting-edge medical nutrition solutions that can help stroke patients make a faster and stronger recovery.