Dietary guidance for stroke prevention

According to the "Report on the Third National Retrospective Sampling Survey on Causes of Death", cerebrovascular disease has now become the leading cause of death among Chinese people, among which stroke is the disease with the highest disability rate. Studies have shown that taking effective management measures against stroke risk factors can prevent more than 80% of strokes. At present, the health awareness of people at high risk of stroke in my country is weak, and the awareness rate of the main risk factors, premonitory symptoms and harm of unhealthy lifestyles of stroke is low. The compliance of prevention and treatment behaviors and the control of risk factors are poor.

Stroke is an acute neurological deficit syndrome caused by cerebral blood circulation disorder due to cerebrovascular disease, which mainly includes ischemic stroke (i.e. cerebral infarction) and hemorrhagic stroke (including cerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, etc.). Stroke has the characteristics of high morbidity, high disability rate, high mortality rate, high recurrence rate, and high economic burden.

Stroke risk factors are divided into two categories: non-interventional and interventional.

Non-interventional risk factors include age, race, genetic factors, etc.

Interventional risk factors are the main risk factors that need to be controlled for stroke prevention, including hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, heart disease, smoking, alcohol intake, diet, overweight or obesity, lack of exercise, psychological factors, etc.

Stroke is preventable and controllable. To prevent stroke, you need to develop good living habits:

Eat a balanced diet, exercise moderately, quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption, and maintain mental balance.

A balanced diet, in general, should be low in salt and fat, with more fruits and vegetables, and a balance of coarse and fine grains.

1. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Fruits contain a variety of minerals, vitamins, pectin and other beneficial ingredients. Fresh fruits and vegetables can significantly reduce the incidence of stroke, cardiovascular disease and tumors.

Vegetables and fruits are rich in cellulose, which is an important source of dietary fiber. They promote intestinal peristalsis and prevent constipation. The recommended daily intake of vegetables is 300-500g, and the daily intake of fruits is 200-400g (except for diabetic patients).

2. Control the intake of meat, fat and salt

Low-salt diet: The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends that healthy adults should not consume more than 5g of salt per day, and patients with hypertension should not consume more than 3g. Try to avoid high-salt foods and condiments. You can use vinegar, lemon juice, apple juice, tomato juice and other sour sauces to add flavor to food and reduce the need for saltiness. Use low-sodium salt instead of ordinary salt, but it should be used with caution for patients with renal insufficiency.

Low-fat diet: The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends that healthy adults consume 25-30g of fat per day. Fats are divided into saturated fat and unsaturated fat, which contain saturated fatty acids and unsaturated fatty acids respectively. Unsaturated fatty acids can lower cholesterol and are beneficial to the body. However, saturated fatty acids are harmful, and excessive intake can cause obesity and dyslipidemia.

3. Promote the Mediterranean diet

The Mediterranean diet refers to the dietary style of southern European countries along the Mediterranean Sea. It refers to a dietary structure that includes eating a lot of fruits, vegetables, beans, cereals, and unsaturated fatty acids such as olive oil, eating a small amount of dairy products, meat, chicken and duck, eating more fish in moderation, and consuming a small amount of wine during meals. The Mediterranean diet can not only be used to promote the recovery of stroke patients, but healthy people can also refer to this dietary pattern to prevent stroke.

4. Quit smoking and drinking

Nicotine in cigarettes can stimulate the sympathetic nerves, leading to increased heart rate, vasoconstriction, and increased blood pressure. Long-term heavy smoking can cause abnormal blood lipids, especially abnormal high-density lipoproteins, which in turn affect vasomotor function, accelerate the process of atherosclerosis, and increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Alcohol intake can cause varying degrees of damage to blood vessels, causing incomplete vascular paralysis, decreased tension, increased permeability, coagulation disorders, etc., which is related to the occurrence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, chronic liver diseases and other diseases, and is an important risk factor affecting the health of Chinese residents.