Artificially Sweetened Beverages and Stroke, Coronary Heart Disease, and All-Cause Mortality in the Women’s Health Initiative | Stroke

Background and Purpose—

We examine the association between self-reported consumption of
artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) and stroke and its subtypes,
coronary heart disease, and all-cause mortality in a cohort of
postmenopausal US women.

Methods—

The analytic cohort included 81 714 women from the Women’s Health
Initiative Observational Study, a multicenter longitudinal study of the
health of 93 676 postmenopausal women of ages 50 to 79 years at baseline
who enrolled in 1993 to 1998. This prospective study had a mean
follow-up time of 11.9 years (SD of 5.3 years.) Participants who
completed a follow-up visit 3 years after baseline were included in the
study.

Results—

Most participants (64.1%) were infrequent consumers (never or <1/week) of
ASB, with only 5.1% consuming ≥2 ASBs/day. In multivariate analyses,
those consuming the highest level of ASB compared to never or rarely
(<1/wk) had significantly greater likelihood of all end points
(except hemorrhagic stroke), after controlling for multiple covariates.
Adjusted models indicated that hazard ratios and 95% confidence
intervals were 1.23 (1.02–1.47) for all stroke; 1.31 (1.06–1.63) for
ischemic stroke; 1.29 (1.11–1.51) for coronary heart disease; and 1.16
(1.07–1.26) for all-cause mortality. In women with no prior history of
cardiovascular disease or diabetes mellitus, high consumption of ASB was
associated with more than a 2-fold increased risk of small artery
occlusion ischemic stroke hazard ratio =2.44 (95% confidence interval,
1.47–4.04.) High consumption of ASBs was associated with significantly
increased risk of ischemic stroke in women with body mass index ≥30;
hazard ratio =2.03 (95% confidence interval, 1.38–2.98).

Conclusions—

Higher
intake of ASB was associated with increased risk of stroke,
particularly small artery occlusion subtype, coronary heart disease, and
all-cause mortality. Although requiring replication, these new findings
add to the potentially harmful association of consuming high quantities
of ASB with these health outcomes.

Endothelial TLR4 and the microbiome drive cerebral cavernous malformations : Nature : Nature Research

Cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs) are a cause of stroke and seizure for which no effective medical therapies yet exist. CCMs arise from the loss of an adaptor complex that negatively regulates MEKK3–KLF2/4 signalling in brain endothelial cells, but upstream activators of this disease pathway have yet to be identified. Here we identify endothelial Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and the gut microbiome as critical stimulants of CCM formation. Activation of TLR4 by Gram-negative bacteria or lipopolysaccharide accelerates CCM formation, and genetic or pharmacologic blockade of TLR4 signalling prevents CCM formation in mice. Polymorphisms that increase expression of the TLR4 gene or the gene encoding its co-receptor CD14 are associated with higher CCM lesion burden in humans. Germ-free mice are protected from CCM formation, and a single course of antibiotics permanently alters CCM susceptibility in mice. These studies identify unexpected roles for the microbiome and innate immune signalling in the pathogenesis of a cerebrovascular disease, as well as strategies for its treatment."



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Sugar- and Artificially Sweetened Beverages and the Risks of Incident Stroke and Dementia | Stroke

"Background and Purpose—Sugar- and artificially-sweetened beverage intake have been linked to cardiometabolic risk factors, which increase the risk of cerebrovascular disease and dementia. We examined whether sugar- or artificially sweetened beverage consumption was associated with the prospective risks of incident stroke or dementia in the community-based Framingham Heart Study Offspring cohort.

 Methods—We studied 2888 participants aged >45 years for incident stroke (mean age 62 [SD, 9] years; 45% men) and 1484 participants aged >60 years for incident dementia (mean age 69 [SD, 6] years; 46% men). Beverage intake was quantified using a food-frequency questionnaire at cohort examinations 5 (1991–1995), 6 (1995–1998), and 7 (1998–2001). We quantified recent consumption at examination 7 and cumulative consumption by averaging across examinations. Surveillance for incident events commenced at examination 7 and continued for 10 years. We observed 97 cases of incident stroke (82 ischemic) and 81 cases of incident dementia (63 consistent with Alzheimer’s disease)



Results—After adjustments for age, sex, education (for analysis of dementia), caloric intake, diet quality, physical activity, and smoking, higher recent and higher cumulative intake of artificially sweetened soft drinks were associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke, all-cause dementia, and Alzheimer’s disease dementia. When comparing daily cumulative intake to 0 per week (reference), the hazard ratios were 2.96 (95% confidence interval, 1.26–6.97) for ischemic stroke and 2.89 (95% confidence interval, 1.18–7.07) for Alzheimer’s disease. Sugar-sweetened beverages were not associated with stroke or dementia.

 Conclusions—Artificially sweetened soft drink consumption was associated with a higher risk of stroke and dementia."



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Stroke and dementia risk linked to artificial sweeteners, study suggests | Society | The Guardian

Consuming a can a day of low- or no-sugar soft drink is associated with a much higher risk of having a stroke or developing dementia, researchers claim.

Their findings have prompted renewed questions about whether drinks flavoured with artificial sweeteners can increase the risk of serious illness, as heavily sugared drinks have already been shown to do.

“Drinking at least one artificially sweetened beverage daily was associated with almost three times the risk of developing stroke or dementia compared to those who drank artificially sweetened beverages less than once a week,” according to the American researchers who carried out a study published in Stroke, the journal of the American Heart Association."


Here's the paper :-

Sugar- and Artificially Sweetened Beverages and the Risks of Incident Stroke and Dementia

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Air pollution, stroke, and anxiety | The BMJ

Particulate air pollution is an emerging risk factor for an increasing number of common conditions

The
effects of air pollution on the lungs and heart are now widely
appreciated, with expanding evidence for an important role in cardiac
disease.1 The Global Burden of Disease Study identified fine particulate matter (PM_2.5)
in outdoor air and household air pollution from use of solid fuels as
the ninth and fourth leading risk factors, respectively, for disease
worldwide,2 and the World Health Organization attributes one in every eight deaths to air pollution.3
The effects of air pollution are not limited to cardiopulmonary
diseases. Recent evidence suggests a role in diverse outcomes, including
diabetes,4 low birth weight, and preterm birth.5
This research stems from improved understanding of the role of air
pollution in initiating systemic inflammation, a response that may
affect multiple organ systems. Two linked studies (doi:10.1136/bmj.h1295, doi:10.1136/bmj.h1111) add to growing evidence that air pollution is an important risk factor for an increasing number of common diseases.6 7

In the first of the two papers, Shah and colleagues6
systematically reviewed and meta-analysed 103 studies conducted in 28
countries and including 6.2 million events to assess the role of short
term fluctuations in air pollution as a trigger for stroke. Although
evidence from several cohort studies of long term exposure to
particulate matter indicates associations with stroke mortality, such
findings are not universal.8

The
role of air pollution as a possible trigger for stroke has important
implications for disease burden, especially in China where air pollution
and the incidence of (especially haemorrhagic) stroke are high. In
their analysis, Shah and colleagues found that increases in each of the
common gaseous and particulate air pollutants were significantly
associated with admission to hospital for stroke or stroke related
mortality, with associations strongest for strokes on the same day as
exposure; increased ozone was only weakly associated with
cerebrovascular events.

Stroke risk higher after shingles, but antiviral drugs may provide protection - Medical News Today

Patients' risk of stroke significantly increased following the first signs of shingles, but antiviral drugs appeared to offer some protection, according to a new study in Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online. People with shingles, an often painful skin rash caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, had a higher stroke risk in the first 6 months after shingles symptoms
appeared; this risk was particularly increased in patients with a rash
near their eyes, the study found.

Seasonal flu vaccine may cut stroke risk -- ScienceDaily

Having the seasonal flu jab could reduce the risk of suffering a stroke
by almost a quarter, researchers have found. Academics discovered that
patients who had been vaccinated against influenza were 24% less likely
to suffer a stroke in the same flu season. In 2010, the same research
team showed a similar link between flu vaccination and reduced risk of
heart attack. "Further experimental studies would be needed to better
understand the relationship between flu vaccination and stroke risk.
However, these findings reinforce the value of the U.K.'s national flu
vaccination program with reduced risk of stroke appearing to be an added
health benefit," the authors noted.

Common infections linked to stroke in children; vaccines may reduce risk - Medical News Today

In the Vascular effects of Infection in Pediatric Stroke study, researchers found that common infections within the past week were linked to more than six times the risk of stroke. Seventeen percent of the stroke patients vs. 3 percent of the non-stroke patients were reported to have had any minor infection in the prior week. The most frequent types of infection were colds and other
upper respiratory infections (8 percent of the stroke and 2.4 percent of the non-stroke patients reported an occurrence of these kinds of infections in the prior week).
However, routine vaccinations were associated with a lower stroke risk.
Children who had "some, few or no" routine vaccinations were 6.7 times more likely to have an ischemic stroke than those receiving "all or most" vaccines, including those against polio, measles, mumps, rubella and pneumococcus.

Shingles linked to increased risk of stroke in young adults

Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. It is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. After people recover from chickenpox, the virus stays dormant in the nerve roots. In some people, the virus reactivates years later as shingles.
People age 18 to 40 who had shingles were more likely to have a stroke, heart attack or transient ischemic attack, also called a TIA or warning for a stroke, years later than people who had not had shingles. People over 40 who had shingles were more likely to have a heart attack or TIA, but not a stroke, than those who had not had shingles.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Prescribing an apple a day to all adults aged 50 and over would prevent or delay around 8,500 vascular deaths such as heart attacks and strokes every year in the UK -- similar to giving statins to everyone over 50 years who is not already taking them -- according to a study in the Christmas edition of The BMJ.

Protection against brain abnormalities provided by high serum omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content

According to a new study, high long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content in blood may lower the risk of small brain infarcts and other brain abnormalities in the elderly. The study was published in Journal of the American Heart Association.

USDA study hints at possible links between soil characteristics and stroke risk

"In their initial analysis, the team found that stroke rates were significantly correlated with depth to water table and soil drainage class. Stroke rates were higher in counties where soil depth to water table was between 20 and 59 inches, which is often the case for shallow water tables in the Coastal Plain. (Soils with water tables less than 20 inches deep are usually found in flood-prone areas near streams, rivers, or wetlands—sites that are generally unsuitable for residential use.) Links between stroke rate and soil drainage were also significant: Well-drained soils had a negative correlation (fewer strokes), while poorly drained soils were positively correlated (more strokes)."Based on their findings, the South Carolina scientists hypothesize that an early-life exposure to the specific microbial mix in Coastal Plain soils might affect microbiome development in a way that leaves some individuals more vulnerable to cardiovascular events like stroke.

Mediterranean diet counteracts a genetic risk of stroke

 Led by Ordovás and corresponding author Dolores Corella, Ph.D., of the CIBER Fisiopatologia de la Obesidad y Nutriciόn , the researchers focused on a variant in the Transcription Factor 7-Like 2 (TCF7L2) gene, which has been implicated in glucose metabolism but its relationship to cardiovascular disease risk has been uncertain. About 14 percent of the PREDIMED participants were homozygous carriers, meaning they carried two copies of the gene variant and had an increased risk of disease.

"Being on the Mediterranean diet reduced the number of strokes in people with two copies of the variant. The food they ate appeared to eliminate any increased stroke susceptibility, putting put them on an even playing field with people with one or no copies of the variant,

There's something you can do to reduce your risk of stroke

 "A combination of five healthy lifestyle factors can reduce your risk of stroke by 80%; people who don't smoke, have a healthy weight and healthy diet, exercise for 30 minutes each day, and consume modest amounts of alcohol have a much lower risk of many chronic diseases, including stroke."

BBC News - Stroke patients see signs of recovery in stem-cell trial

Five seriously disabled stroke patients have shown small signs of recovery following the injection of stem cells into their brain.

Study shows gut bacteria byproduct predicts heart attack and stroke

A microbial byproduct of intestinal bacteria contributes to heart disease and serves as an accurate screening tool for predicting future risks of heart attack, stroke and death in persons not otherwise identified by traditional risk factors and blood tests, according to Cleveland Clinic research published today in The New England Journal of Medicine."The current study is an extension of Dr. Hazen's previous work, in which he found that a chemical byproduct called trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) is produced when intestinal bacteria digest the nutrient phosphatidylcholine, commonly known as lecithin. The prior research showed that TMAO levels in the blood were associated with heart disease. Dr. Hazen and colleagues have now confirmed that gut flora are essential in forming TMAO in humans and demonstrated a relationship between TMAO levels and future cardiac events like heart attack, stroke, and death—even in those with no prior evidence of cardiac disease risk.

Mediterranean diet helps cut risk of heart attack, stroke: Results of PREDIMED study presented

Results of the PREDIMED study, aimed at assessing the efficacy of the Mediterranean diet in the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases, have been published in The New England Journal of Medicine. They show that the Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or tree nuts reduces by 30 percent the risk of suffering a cardiovascular death, a myocardial infarction or a stroke.

Tsc1 (hamartin) confers neuroprotection against ischemia by inducing autophagy : Nature Medicine : Nature Publishing Group

Previous attempts to identify neuroprotective targets by studying the ischemic cascade and devising ways to suppress it have failed to translate to efficacious therapies for acute ischemic stroke. We hypothesized that studying the molecular determinants of endogenous neuroprotection in two well-established paradigms, the resistance of CA3 hippocampal neurons to global ischemia and the tolerance conferred by ischemic preconditioning (IPC), would reveal new neuroprotective targets. We found that the product of the tuberous sclerosis complex 1 gene (TSC1), hamartin, is selectively induced by ischemia in hippocampal CA3 neurons. In CA1 neurons, hamartin was unaffected by ischemia but was upregulated by IPC preceding ischemia, which protects the otherwise vulnerable CA1 cells. Suppression of hamartin expression with TSC1 shRNA viral vectors both in vitro and in vivo increased the vulnerability of neurons to cell death following oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) and ischemia. In vivo, suppression of TSC1 expression increased locomotor activity and decreased habituation in a hippocampal-dependent task. Overexpression of hamartin increased resistance to OGD by inducing productive autophagy through an mTORC1-dependent mechanism.

Nitric oxide keeps stroke-damaged brain from repairing itself

Nitric oxide, a gaseous molecule produced in the brain, can damage neurons. When the brain produces too much nitric oxide, it contributes to the severity and progression of stroke and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute recently discovered that nitric oxide not only damages neurons, it also shuts down the brain's repair mechanisms.

Disappearing bacterium may protect against stroke

A new study by NYU School of Medicine researchers reveals that an especially virulent strain of the gut bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) isn't implicated in the overall death rate of the U.S. population, and may even protect against stroke and some cancers. The findings, based a nationwide health survey of nearly 10,000 individuals over a period of some 12 years, are published online, January 9, in the journal Gut.

Read more at: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-bacterium.html#jCp