Metabolic stress can impair stroke recovery

Low levels of good cholesterol and high levels of homocysteine can put one at an increased risk of memory problems and disability after getting a stroke.Recovery from a stroke can be a little tough for some people. It is seen that metabolic stress can play a significant role in stroke recovery. In the case of people with diabetes, high levels of cholesterol and homocysteine, an amino acid derived from eating meat, can be accompanied with a decline in cognitive function and greater disability. To delineate factors associated with cognitive function following stroke and test the hypothesis that vascular risk factors associated with oxidative stress impairs recovery, researchers at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia, studied 3,680 men and women over the age of 35, who had suffered from a mild to moderate stroke within the past 3 months. All these participants were made to complete tests of brain function and disability and were followed for two years. The results showed that people with low levels of HDL, high levels of homocysteine and diabetes were twice as likely as those without these problems to have a poorer cognitive function and greater disability after stroke. It was also found that stroke recovery was most difficult foe people over the age of 57, especially those who had high levels of homocysteine, which is a risk factor for heart problems and associated with low levels of vitamins B6 and B12, folic acid and kidney disease.Thus, the finding that diabetes, low high-density lipoprotein, and high homocysteine levels predict poorer cognitive function and greater disability after stroke is consistent with the hypothesis that metabolic stress plays a significant role in the post-stroke period.