Plasma Metabolites Link Dietary Patterns to Stroke Risk

Area of Science:

• Nutritional Neuroscience
• Metabolomics
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Dietary patterns significantly influence stroke risk, yet personalized interventions are limited by a lack of specific biomarkers.
• Identifying metabolic markers associated with diet and stroke can bridge this gap, enabling targeted nutritional strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify specific metabolites associated with various dietary patterns, including a plant-based diet, and their relationship with incident stroke.
• To investigate whether identified metabolites mediate the association between a plant-based diet and reduced stroke risk.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 162 plasma metabolites in a nested cohort from the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study (1,198 stroke cases, 904 controls).
• Examination of associations between metabolites and plant-based, Mediterranean, DASH, and Southern diet patterns using Cox proportional hazards models.
• Replication in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS) and mediation analyses using inverse odds ratio-weighted methods.

Main Results:

• Several metabolites, including indole-3-propionic acid, guanosine, gluconic acid, and C7 carnitine, were significantly associated with a plant-based diet and stroke risk.
• Guano sine (32.6%), gluconic acid (35.7%), and C7 carnitine (26.2%) were identified as significant mediators linking a plant-based diet to reduced stroke risk.
• These diet-related metabolites demonstrated associations across multiple dietary patterns and altered stroke risk.

Conclusions:

• A subset of diet-related metabolites are significantly associated with stroke risk.
• Metabolites such as guanosine, gluconic acid, and C7 carnitine may act as surrogate markers for the stroke-protective effects of a plant-based diet.
• These findings support the development of metabolite-informed dietary interventions for personalized stroke prevention.