Stroke | Nutritional Advice El Mondo

Strokes are brain attacks. A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of your brain is interrupted or severely reduced, depriving brain tissue of oxygen and nutrients. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die. When brain cells die during a stroke, abilities controlled by that area of the brain such as memory and muscle control are lost.
There are three main types of stroke:
1. Ischemic stroke. This is the most common type of stroke. A blood clot prevents blood and oxygen from reaching the brain.
2. Hemorrhagic stroke. This occurs when a weakened blood vessel ruptures.
3. Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), also referred to as a mini-stroke. A TIA occurs after blood flow fails to reach part of the brain. Normal blood flow resumes after a short amount of time and symptoms cease.
About 85% of strokes are ischemic strokes. The most common ischemic strokes are:
- Thrombotic stroke. A thrombotic stroke occurs when a blood clot (thrombus) forms in one of the arteries that supply blood to your brain. A clot may be caused by fatty deposits (plaque) that build up in arteries and cause reduced blood flow (atherosclerosis) or other artery conditions.
- Embolic stroke. An embolic stroke occurs when a blood clot or other debris forms away from your brain - commonly in your heart - and is swept through your bloodstream to lodge in narrower brain arteries. This type of blood clot is called an embolus.
About 15% of strokes are hemorrhagic strokes, but they are responsible for about 40% of all stroke deaths. The two types of hemorrhagic stroke are intracerebal and subarachnoid.
1. Intracerebal hemorrhage stroke occurs when a blood vessel inside the brain bursts and leaks blood into surrounding brain tissue. The bleeding causes brain cells to die and the affected part of the brain stops working correctly. High blood pressure and aging blood vessels are the most common causes of this type of stroke.
2. Subarachnoid hemorrhage stroke involves bleeding in the area between the brain and the tissue covering the brain, known as the subarachnoid space. This type of stroke is most often caused by a burst aneurysm. However, other causes include, arteriovenous malformation, bleeding disorders, head injury, using blood thinners
The symptoms of stroke are:
- Trouble with speaking and understanding. You may experience confusion. You may slur your words or have difficulty understanding speech.
- Paralysis or numbness of the face, arm or leg. You may develop sudden numbness, weakness or paralysis in your face, arm or leg, especially on one side of your body. Try to raise both your arms over your head at the same time. If one arm begins to fall, you may be having a stroke. Similarly, one side of your mouth may droop when you try to smile.
- Trouble with seeing in one or both eyes. You may suddenly have blurred or blackened vision in one or both eyes or you may see double.
- Headache. A sudden, severe headache, which may be accompanied by vomiting, dizziness or altered consciousness, may indicate you're having a stroke.
- Trouble with walking. You may stumble or experience sudden dizziness, loss of balance or loss of coordination.
The acronym F.A.S.T. is a way to remember the signs of stroke and can help identify the onset of stroke:
- Face drooping: If the person tries to smile, does one side of the face droop?
- Arm weakness: If the person tries to raise both their arms, does one arm drift downward?
- Speech difficulty: If the person tries to repeat a simple phrase, is their speech slurred or strange?
- Time: If you observe any of these signs, call emergency services immediately.
The faster a person with suspected stroke receives medical attention, the better their prognosis will be and the less likely they will be to experience permanent damage or death.
Some people recover completely from strokes, but more than 2/3 of survivors will have some type of disability.

Scientific studies on the relationship between diet/nutrients and stroke prevention:
A review article (a collection of scientific studies on a specific topic) of randomized, placebo-controlled double blind clinical trials (RCTs) will answer the following question:
"Do taking dietary supplements make sense?" Yes for a positive conclusion and no for a negative conclusion.

A review article (a collection of scientific studies on a specific topic) of cohort studies or case-control studies will answer the following question:
"Should I change my diet?".