To evaluate the effects of dietary folic acid supplementation on the cerebral vascular damage induced by hyperhomocysteinemia, rats were fed a diet containing 3.0 g/kg homocystine for 2 wk and then either 3.0 g/kg homocystine or 3.0 g/kg homocystine plus 0.008 g/kg folic acid for 8 wk. Control rats consumed the AIN-93 Maintenance diet throughout the experiment. The cerebral expression of glucose transporter-1 was measured by Western blot analysis and cerebrovascular structural alterations were evaluated by electron microscopy. The homocystine diet significantly increased the plasma levels of homocysteine and TBARS and decreased the cerebral expression of glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) with a concomitant increase in the percentage of damaged cerebral vessels. The inclusion of dietary folic acid for 8 wk caused plasma homocysteine levels to be the same as in control rats and it significantly upregulated the cerebral expression of GLUT-1 that was significantly reduced by hyperhomocysteinemia. Folic acid supplementation also significantly decreased the incidence of damaged vessels due to hyperhomocysteinemia. These results and the electron microscopy findings suggested that folic acid supplementation might reduce the detrimental effects on the endothelium caused by experimentally induced hyperhomocysteinemia.
Strokes are the third leading cause of death in the Korea and cause long‐term disability. In particular, 80% of total strokes are ischemic strokes in Western countries. Although a high intake of fruits and vegetables which are rich in antioxidant nutrients and B vitamins may reduce atherosclerosis and strokes, the results remain inconclusive. The objective of the present study is to investigate the associations between fruits and vegetable intake, particularly antioxidants nutrients and B vitamins intake and ischemic strokes. We found that the stroke patient group consumed significantly lower intakes than the control group in fruits, vegetables, B vitamins (folate and vitamin B6), and antioxidants nutrients (vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta‐carotene). Furthermore, ischemic stroke patients with carotid atherosclerosis had lower antioxidants nutrients intake than those without. When the patients were divided into the TOAST classification of ischemic stroke, TOAST1 (large‐artery atherosclerosis origin) group and TOAST3 (lacunar origin) group showed similar dietary intake pattern. Our findings indicated that dietary recommendation of higher intake fruit and vegetable may be beneficial to prevent ischemic stroke, especially in patients with cardiovascular risk factors. Grant Funding Source: This research was supported by a grant (22A20130012143) from the Brain Korea 21 plus project
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