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What Antioxidants Are Best for Stroke Recovery?

According to the 2009 statistics from a study conducted by the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, the third-leading cause of death in the United States is stroke. Over 143,000 people in the United States die each year from strokes. Stroke is also the leading cause of serious disability in the United States. The good news is according to the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, antioxidants may reduce the amount of brain damage that occurs during a stoke; especially the types of antioxidants found in fruits and vegetables.

  1. How Antioxidants Help

    • Antioxidants seem to help stroke victims recover faster due to the anti-inflammatory properties. These anti-inflammatory properties can reduce nerve cell injury and death and may speed recovery time for stroke victims. Even if the antioxidant treatments are given several hours after a stroke occurs, they may still reduce stroke damage.

    Important Study

    • As reported by ScienceDirect, Experimental Neurology, Volume 193, Issue 1, May 2005, pages 75 to 84 an important study was conducted on rats. These rats were divided into four groups. The groups were each fed respectively rat food supplemented with blueberries, spinach, spirulina and the last group was given plain rat food.

      The findings were amazing. Four weeks after beginning this diet, the rats were induced to an ischemic stroke. The stroke size of the rats who received the blueberry and spinach supplemented rat food were half the size as those receiving plain rat foods. Stroke lesions in rats receiving spirulina supplements were 75 percent smaller than those who did not receive a supplement. These rats also recovered movement after the stroke faster than the non-supplemented rats.

    Best Fruits and Vegetables for Antioxidants

    • As cited in the above study, blueberries, spinach and sirulina (algae) are sources of antioxidants important in stroke recovery. The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry conducted a study in June of 2004, ranking more than 100 foods in their antioxidant levels. Among the foods studied, cranberries, blueberries and blackberries ranked the highest in antioxidant levels.

    Stroke Prevention

    • The best treatment for a stroke is prevention. There are several things you can do to help prevent your chance of stroke. Do not smoke, eat a healthy and balanced diet, and exercise regularly. Increasing foods high in antioxidants may go a long way in preventing strokes, as well as speeding recovery time if you do have a stroke. A healthy diet to prevent strokes includes fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole grains and low-sodium foods. You should also try to avoid high fat foods and food with excessive amounts of calories. Having a yearly checkup is an important preventative health measure against strokes.

    Stroke Warning Signs

    • If you have any of the following symptoms, it could mean you are having a stroke and should go to an emergency room immediately: sudden weakness or numbness in the arms, face or legs, or on one side of the body; confusion or trouble speaking; vision problems or loss of vision out of one or both eyes; dizziness and loss of balance; or sudden severe headache for no known reason.

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