Research Article: Dietary background, serum polyunsaturated fatty acid profiles, and 1-year outcomes after large-artery atherosclerotic stroke: a multicenter cohort study
Abstract:
To examine whether long-term dietary background is associated with post-stroke outcomes in patients with large-artery atherosclerotic cerebral infarction (LAA-CI), and to explore the relationship between serum polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) profiles and neurological, functional, and neuropsychiatric recovery.
This retrospective multicenter cohort study enrolled 410 patients with LAA-CI admitted to the neurology departments of two hospitals in Zhejiang Province, China, between June 2022 and December 2024. Patients were stratified by long-term dietary background into a high-fish/seafood dietary group ( n = 210) and a mixed/omnivorous inland dietary group ( n = 200). All patients underwent 1-year follow-up with assessment of modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score, poor functional outcome (mRS > 2), change in NIHSS score (?NIHSS), post-stroke depression (HAMD), and post-stroke cognitive impairment (MMSE). In a representative subgroup ( n = 100), serum PUFA profiling was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Multivariable logistic and linear regression models and ordinal trend analyses were applied to quantify associations between dietary background, PUFA indices, and clinical outcomes.
Baseline demographic and major clinical characteristics were comparable between the two groups. At 1-year follow-up, the island group showed lower mRS scores, a lower incidence of poor functional outcomes, and greater neurological improvement (all P < 0.05), along with lower rates of post-stroke depression and cognitive impairment (all P < 0.01) compared with the inland group. In the PUFA subgroup, the island group exhibited higher ?-3 levels and lower ?-6/?-3 ratios (both P < 0.001). Further analyses demonstrated that higher ?-6/?-3 ratios were associated with increasing risks of poor functional outcome, post-stroke depression, and cognitive impairment (all P for trend < 0.05), and were negatively correlated with ?NIHSS (? = ?0.34, P = 0.003).
Differences in long-term dietary background are associated with heterogeneity in post-stroke recovery. The ?-6/?-3 ratio may represent a metabolic marker linked to functional, neurological, and neuropsychiatric outcomes after stroke, with potential implications for risk stratification and follow-up management, providing a novel research direction for post-stroke risk stratification and follow-up management.
Introduction:
Stroke remains a leading cause of long-term disability worldwide, with large-artery atherosclerotic cerebral infarction (LAA-CI) representing a major etiological subtype in Asian populations ( 1 , 2 ). Despite advances in acute management and secondary prevention, substantial heterogeneity persists in post-stroke functional recovery, as well as in cognitive and emotional outcomes ( 3 , 4 ). Identifying modifiable factors associated with post-stroke prognosis has therefore become a critical focus in stroke…
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