Premorbid Dietary Protein Intake And Its Association With Stroke Severity And Early Outcomes

Background and Purpose:Dietary protein intake has been associated with reduced risk of stroke.However,whether dietary protein intake influences stroke severity and outcomes of stroke has not been determined.This study aimed to examine the relationship between premorbid dietary intake of protein and both stroke severity and neurological outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Materials and Methods:Consecutive patients with first-ever ischemic stroke in Jinling Hospital were screened for eligibility of participation.A validated food-frequency questionnaire(FFQ)was performed to collect necessary data for calculating pre-stroke dietary intakes.Stroke severity was assessed by National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale(NIHSS)at baseline.Neurological outcomes were assessed by Modified Rankin scale(mRS)in 90 days after stroke onset.Multivariable logistical regression was used to analyze the associations between dietary protein intake and stroke severity or neurological outcomes.Results:Of the 201 enrolled patients,110(54.7%)were classified as minor(NIHSS?5)and 91(45.3%)as major stroke(NIHSS ? 6).After adjusting for potential confounders in multivariable logistic regression analysis,no significant association was observed between total(OR = 0.978,P = 0.147),animal(OR = 1.005,P = 0.871)or plant protein intake(OR = 0.961,P = 0.065)and stroke severity.Of the enrolled patients,127(63.2%)were classified as with good(mRS<2),and 74(36.8%)with poor outcomes(mR 3-6).Multivariable logistic regression analysis detected that premorbid dietary intake of total protein was positively associated with good outcomes(OR = 1.051,P = 0.036).When protein was classified as animal and plant ones,neither was associated with good outcomes(OR = 1.013,P = 0.503)(OR =1.070,P = 0.055).Conclusions:Higher level of premorbid protein intake may be associated with favorable neurological outcomes independent of stroke severity.The mechanisms of this association warrant further studies.