Developing and implementing successful interventions often depend upon effectively addressing ethnicity and social class factors, as these influence sexual behavior and its risks. Sexual attitudes differ across cultures. In most cultures, there are strong standards regarding sexual behavior which differ for men and women. Cultural differences also affect the extent to which early sexual behavior is considered acceptable.

Guidelines for Prevention, I

Salt intake is too high for safety nowadays. The main active ion in salt is sodium. The vast majority of scientific evidence points out the importance of sodium restriction for decreasing cardiovascular risk. International Guidelines recommend a large reduction in sodium consumption to help reduce blood pressure, organ damage, and cardiovascular risk. Regulatory authorities across the globe suggest a general restriction of sodium intake to prevent cardiovascular diseases. In spite of this seemingly unanimous consensus, some researchers claim to have evidence of the unhealthy effects of a reduction of sodium intake, and have data to support their claims. Evidence is against dissenting scientists, because prospective, observational, and basic research studies indicate that sodium is the real villain: actual sodium consumption around the globe is far higher than the safe range. Sodium intake is directly related to increased blood pressure, and independently to the enlargement of cardiac mass, with a possible independent role in inducing left ventricular hypertrophy. This may represent the basis of myocardial ischemia, congestive heart failure, and cardiac mortality. Although debated, a high sodium intake may induce initial renal damage and progression in both hypertensive and normotensive subjects. Conversely, there is general agreement about the adverse role of sodium in cerebrovascular disease. These factors point to the possible main role of sodium intake in target organ damage and cardiovascular events including mortality. This review will endeavor to outline the existing evidence.

https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/17/8/2811/pdf

Sodium Intake and Target Organ Damage in Hypertension-An Update About the Role of a Real Villain

Objectives Standard dietary questionnaires may have some limitations in cases with stroke, particularly in those suffering from language and communication difficulties. The present study aimed to develop a dietary questionnaire appropriate for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Materials and Methods Major food groups (n = 19) were first identified using the dietary questionnaire of the INTERHEART study. Using the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), an expert dietitian and a vascular neurologist then selected a total number of 68 corresponding food items from 168 available FFQ items. In the next phase, a panel of expert dietitians (n = 10) assessed the face validity and the content validity of these 68 items and approved a total number of 62 items for the final questionnaire, namely, the Simple Stroke FFQ (SS-FFQ). Employing test-retest method, the intraclass correlation (ICC) of the SS-FFQ was subsequently calculated in 30 randomly selected cases affected with AIS. Ultimately, principal component analysis (PCA) was utilized for 153 cases with AIS to assess the construct validity of the questionnaire concerned. The SPSS Statistics software (version 18: SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, United States) as well as descriptive tests including mean and percentage were additionally used to account for the baseline characteristics of the study participants. Results The results revealed that the reliability of the newly developed form of the SS-FFQ was perfect (ICC = 0.86). Dietary conditions were further assessed administering the SS-FFQ on 153 cases of AIS with the mean age of 63.76 ± 15.93 years. The PCA results also showed that 15 extracted items of the given questionnaire could explain 73.10% of total item variance. Conclusions It was concluded that the SS-FFQ was a valid and reliable questionnaire to assess nutrient intakes among patients with AIS.

/pdf/reliability-and-validity-of-simple-stroke-food-frequency-4irvpxj2uo.pdf

Reliability and Validity of Simple Stroke Food Frequency Questionnaire (SS-FFQ) for Nutrition Monitoring in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke.

To assess the dietary quality of patients with severe cerebrovascular disease using Diet Balance Index-16 (DBI-16) and to provide scientific evidence for the establishment of targeted dietary intervention and related dietary nutritional education for patients.The general information of 214 hospitalized patients with severe cerebrovascular disease, including gender and age etc., were investigated by a self-made questionnaire on health risk factors, and the dietary quality conditions of patients was evaluated by DBI-16 scoring method.The dietary quality of patients with severe cerebrovascular disease had low levels of imbalanced conditions, accompanied with low levels of inadequate intake and excessive intake. The degree of excessive intake in female patients was clearly less than that in male patients. The degree of inadequate intake and total scores in patients younger than 55 years old was lower than those in the other two groups. The intake of vegetables, fruits, milk and soybeans in most of patients did not reach the recommended nutrient intake and the animal product amount was insufficient. In addition, the intake of low quality food and condiments such as oil and salt were excessive in patients with severe cerebrovascular disease. Dietary pattern A was the main model.The overall diet structure of patients with severe cerebrovascular disease is not rational. It is recommended to appropriately balance the intake of grains and animal products, increase the intake of milk, soybeans, vegetables and fruits, and strictly control the amount of oil and salt. 

Evaluation of dietary quality of patients with severe cerebrovascular disease by diet balance index-16.

Stroke is the leading cause of disability worldwide and affects over 80 million people annually. In this chapter, we primarily focus on ischemic stroke, where the largest body of evidence exists concerning associations with diet quality. Ischemic stroke has many causes that often result from direct vascular injury from modifiable risk factors such as hypertension or diabetes, or from embolic disease from the heart. There are many modifiable risk factors that can reduce the risk of vascular injury, heart disease, and therefore stroke. Diet is one of the most important modifiable risk factors for stroke. Many large observational studies demonstrate the associations with diet quality and first stroke. Fewer interventional studies demonstrate the benefits of improving dietary quality to reduce the incidence of first stroke. This chapter aims to summarize the observational and interventional research that serves as the foundation of our understanding of the associations with diet quality and first stroke. We end by examining critical areas for further dietary research to help reduce the future burden of stroke. 

Diet quality and stroke

Objective A healthy diet is associated with reduced risk for stroke, myocardial infarction, cancer and death. We examined the prevalence of a healthy diet in patients with a recent stroke or transient ischaemic attack (TIA). Methods We recruited a convenience sample of 95 patients with a recent ischaemic stroke or TIA. Using information from a 125-item Food Frequency Questionnaire, we calculated dietary quality and the percentage of patients meeting recommended daily intake (RDI) for common macronutrients and elements. Results The mean age of patients was 66 years (SD: 16) and 46% were women. 39 patients (41%) were classified as having a healthy diet (35% of men and 48% of women). The majority of patients were within the RDI for carbohydrates (56.8%), total fat (61.1%), long-chain n-3 fats (68.4%), polyunsaturated fats (79.0%) and protein (96.8%). Very few patients consumed the recommended intake for sodium (25.3%), and even fewer consumed the RDI for potassium (4.2%), with the majority of patients consuming too much sodium and too little potassium. Conclusion We found that most patients with recent stroke or TIA were not following a healthy diet before their stroke event. For most patients, sodium intake was much above and potassium intake was much below RDI.

https://svn.bmj.com/content/svnbmj/4/3/154.full.pdf

Tehmina Khera

Papers

Diet quality in patients with stroke