Dietary Intake and Quality among Stroke Survivors: NHANES 1999-2018

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Public Health
• Cardiovascular Health

Background:

• Nutrition is a key modifiable risk factor for stroke prevention and treatment.
• Limited data exists on nutrient intake and diet quality among stroke survivors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess usual nutrient intake and diet quality in US adults with and without a history of stroke.
• To compare dietary patterns between stroke survivors and matched controls.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data (1999-2018).
• Matched comparison of 1626 stroke survivors with 1621 controls using 24-h dietary recalls.
• Diet quality assessed via Healthy Eating Index 2015 (HEI-2015); food security and limitations also evaluated.

Main Results:

• Stroke survivors reported higher food insecurity, poverty, and physical/mental limitations.
• Stroke survivors had excessive total fat intake and inadequate calcium and magnesium intake compared to controls.
• Lower HEI-2015 scores were observed in stroke survivors, particularly those with food insecurity or low income.

Conclusions:

• Stroke survivors demonstrate nutritionally poor diets with suboptimal nutrient intake and lower diet quality.
• Poverty and food insecurity are more prevalent in stroke survivors and linked to poorer diet quality.