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(Stroke. 2009;40:2828.)
© 2009 American Heart Association, Inc.

Original Contributions

Dietary Protein, but Not Carbohydrate, Is a Primary Determinant of the Onset of Stroke in Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Tsuyoshi Chiba, PhD; Tatsuki Itoh, PhD; Masaki Tabuchi, PhD; Takao Satou, PhD, MD Osamu Ezaki, PhD, MD

From the Nutritional Science Program (T.C., O.E.), National Institute of Health and Nutrition, Tokyo, Japan; the Departments of Pathology (T.I., T.S.) and Pharmacology (M.T.), Kinki University School of Medicine, and the Division of Hospital Pathology (T.S.), Hospital of Kinki University School of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.

Correspondence to Osamu Ezaki, PhD, MD, Nutritional Science Program, National Institute of Health and Nutrition, 1-23-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8636, Japan. E-mail ezaki{at}nih.go.jp

Background and Purpose— Previously, an inverse association has been found between the dietary proportion of protein or fat and incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage. A positive association has been found with respect to carbohydrate intake. To examine what changes in macronutrient intake are causative, animal studies were conducted.

Methods— Stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) were fed diets with varying ratios of macronutrients ad libitum, and the onset of stroke was examined.

Results— When 10% of calories were from fat, rats fed a high-protein/low-carbohydrate diet (55% calories from protein) had a delayed onset of stroke, whereas rats fed a low-protein/high-carbohydrate diet (5% calories from protein) had an accelerated onset of stroke. When 30% of calories were from carbohydrate, a marked delay in the onset of stroke was observed when the diet was high in protein. When 85% of calories were from carbohydrate, rats fed 7.5% of calories as protein displayed an accelerated onset of stroke. When 20% of calories were from protein, increased fat content did not affect the onset of stroke. However, with a fat-free diet, when 20% of calories were from protein, the onset of stroke was delayed, whereas when 10% of calories were from protein, the onset of stroke was accelerated.

Conclusions— The amount of protein, but not of carbohydrate and fat, is a primary determinant of the onset of stroke. However, when calories from protein are relatively low in the diet (10%), fat is necessary to delay the onset of stroke in SHRSP.

Key Words: intracerebral hemorrhage • stroke • protein • carbohydrate • SHRSP