Lee Swanson Research Update

Carotenoids may Help Head off Strokes

December 2004

Carotenoids

Carotenoids alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and lycopene can help ward off ischemic stroke, according to researchers in Boston and the Netherlands.

"Intake of fruits and vegetables has been related to lower risk of ischemic stroke," researchers said, "but nutrients responsible for this apparent benefit remain ill-defined." That premise led researchers to analyze blood carotenoid levels in two groups of men-297 male physicians who had suffered an ischemic stroke and 297 matched controls. All of the subjects were participants in the Physicians' Health Study and had been followed up for 13 years.

Researchers found that men consuming dietary intakes of alpha-carotene in the second through the fifth quintiles were 41% less likely to have a stroke compared to men with intakes in the lowest quintile. Similarly, higher intakes of beta-carotene were associated with a 38% lower risk, and higher intakes of lycopene were related to a 39% lower risk of stroke.

Researchers said, "Our data suggests that higher plasma levels of carotenoids, as markers of fruit and vegetable intake, are inversely related to risk of ischemic stroke and provide support for recommendations to consume fruits and vegetables regularly."

Stroke35:1584, 2004

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