B vitamins and antioxidants intake is negatively correlated with risk of stroke in Iran

Stroke is a leading cause of death in developed countries. However, current therapeutic strategies for stroke have been largely unsuccessful. Several studies have reported important benefits on reducing the risk of stroke and improving the post-stroke-associated functional declines in patients who ate foods rich in micronutrients, including B vitamins. Folic acid, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 are all cofactors in homocysteine metabolism. Growing interest has been paid to hyperhomocyste inemia as a risk factor for stroke. Experimental studies suggest that oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of ischemic cerebral injury, and higher intake of antioxidants has been associated with a lower risk of stroke in large population studies. The aim of this study was to examine whether the dietary intake of B vitamins and antioxidants in patients with stroke were comparatively worse than those in patients without stroke. In this case control study, 69 stroke patients [46 male, age = 56 +/- 18 years and 23 female, age = 52 +/- 7 years] admitted to Azzahra hospital between April 2009 and May 2010 were matched for age and sex with 60 patients [30 male and 30 female] from the same hospital who were not affected with acute cerebrovascular diseases and did not have a history of stroke. Dietary intake was assessed with a validated self-administered food frequency questionnaire [FFQ]. FFQ was collected conducting face-to-face interview with one of the patients' close relatives. Food intakes, translated into nutrient data, were compared between the two groups and with the recommended values. Intake of folic acid in men with stroke and vitamin B12 in women with stroke was significantly lower than that in the patients without stroke [P < 0.05], but there was no significant difference between the two groups in the level of antioxidant consumption in women and men [P > 0.05]. Our findings suggest that increased folic acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin E, C intake may be associated with decreased risk of stroke

Dietary intake of different carbohydrates among incident stroke patients during previous year

Stroke is a leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States. Numerous studies have shown that dietary carbohydrates play an important role in stroke incident. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the association between dietary intake of carbohydrate and its types and stroke incidence among Iranian adults. A case-control study was performed among 46 men [5618] and 23 women [527] admitted to the Al Zahra hospital with stroke and 60 healthy people were chosen in control group. Dietary intake was measured by food frequency questionnaire [FFQ] including 168 items. Food processor software [version 2] was used to analyze data. Anthropometric indices of male and female patients were [BMI: 297.5], [Waist: 11215] and [BMI: 25.53.5], [Waist: 925] respectively. Energy intake and carbohydrate consumption of patients in both genders was higher than the healthy subjects which was statistically significant among men [P < 0.05]. Across different carbohydrate sources, refined carbohydrates consumption was higher among patients in both gender rather than the healthy subjects While, the healthy people had a higher whole grain consumption. High carbohydrate intake specially refined sources with high glycemic index [GI] and glycemic load [GL] is associated with increased risk of stroke. Hence, dietary intake requires improvement to provide protection from life threatening outcomes

Effects of six weeks of beta-alanine administration on VO[2] max, time to exhaustion and lactate concentrations in physical education students

Supplementation with beta-alanine has been proposed to improve performance in some exercises such as cycling and running. Also, it has been demonstrated that great deals of proton ions are produced in the skeletal muscles during exercise that result in acidosis, whereas beta-alanine may reduce this effect. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the effects of alanine supplementation on VO[2] max, time to exhaustion and lactate concentrations in physical education male students. Thirty-nine male physical education students volunteered for this study. Participants were supplemented orally for 6 week with either beta-alanine [5*400 mg/d] or placebo [5*400 mg dextrose/d], randomly. VO[2] max and time to exhaustion [TTE] with a continuous graded exercise test [GXT] on an electronically braked cycle ergometer; and serum lactate and glucose concentrations were measured before and after supplementation. Supplementation with beta-alanine showed a significant increase in VO[2] max [P<0.05] and a significant decrease in TTE and lactate concentrations [P<0.05]. A significant elevation in lactate concentrations and a non significant increase in TTE were observed in placebo group. Plasma glucose concentrations did not change significantly in two groups after intervention. It can be concluded that beta-alanine supplementation can reduce lactate concentrations during exercise and thus can improve exercise performance in endurance athletes