Strokes are both prevented and treated by Vitamin D – July 2022

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The Role of Vitamin D in Stroke Prevention and the Effects of Its Supplementation for Post-Stroke Rehabilitation: A Narrative Review

Nutrients 2022, 14(13), 2761; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14132761
Klaudia Marek 1,*ORCID,Natalia Cichoń 2ORCID,Joanna Saluk-Bijak 3ORCID, Michał Bijak 2ORCID and Elżbieta Miller 1ORCID

• 1 Dept, of Neurological Rehabilitation, Medical University of Lodz, Milionowa 14, 93-113 Lodz, Poland
• 2 Biohazard Prevention Center, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Pomorska 141/143, 90-236 Lodz, Poland
• 3 Dept, of General Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, University of Lodz, Pomorska 141/143, 90-236 Lodz, Poland

Hypovitaminosis D is a serious public health problem, representing an independent factor in mortality among the general population. Vitamin D deficiency may affect up to one billion people worldwide. Recently, the potential association between vitamin D levels and stroke has gained increasing attention. Many studies suggest that maintaining normal serum vitamin D levels is associated with improvement of the cardiovascular system and a reduction in stroke risk.
As a neurosteroid, vitamin D influences brain development and function and immunomodulation and affects brain neuroplasticity.
It supports many processes that maintain homeostasis in the body.
As stroke is the second most common cause of death worldwide, more studies are needed to confirm

• the positive effects of vitamin D supplementation,
• its dosage at different stages of the disease,
• method of determination, and
• effect on stroke onset and recovery.

Many studies on stroke survivors indicate that serum vitamin D levels only offer insignificant benefits and are not beneficial to recovery.
This review article aims to highlight recent publications that have examined the potential of vitamin D supplementation to improve rehabilitation outcomes in stroke survivors.
Particular attention has been paid to stroke prevention.
 Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki

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VitaminDWiki – Stroke category contains

131 items in stroke category - see also Overview Stroke and vitamin D,
Overview Hypertension and Vitamin D  Overview Cardiovascular and vitamin D

Stroke more likely if low Vitamin D

• Stroke 74% less likely if high vitamin D (7,295 women 20-50 years old) – July 2017
• Stroke is 13.5 X more likely if low vitamin D and high blood pressure – March 2015
• Ischemic stroke 17 X more likely if low vitamin D – April 2017
• Stroke is strongly associated with Calcification of cerebral arteries (perhaps low Vitamin D, Vitamin K, Mg…) – March 2018
• Ischemic Stroke 3X more likely if Vitamin D Receptor gene change (Fok 1) – Jan 2014

Post-Stroke worse if low Vitamin D

• Poor Acute Ischemic Stroke 4X more likely if low Vitamin D - Nov 2023
• Stroke risks increased if low Vitamin D: Death 3.6 X, recurrence 5.5 X – Meta-analysis Nov 2019
• Stroke outcome at 3 months was 3X worse if bad stroke and low vitamin D – Jan 2020
• Death after Ischemic Stroke 2.5 X more likely if less than 10 ng of Vitamin D – May 2019
• Vascular dementia (after strokes) 32X more likely in Hypertensives with low vitamin D – Oct 2015
• Depression following a stroke is 2.7 X more likely if low vitamin D – Sept 2018
• Stroke incidence not associated with low Vitamin D (but stroke outcome is) – Aug 2019

Post-Stroke better if add Vitamin D

• Post-stroke Vitamin D supplementation helped in 11 ways – May 2023
• Improved recovery from ischemic stroke with Vitamin D (300,000 IU injection) – RCT June 2018
• Better outcome following Ischemic stroke if injected with 600,000 IU of vitamin D – RCT Feb 2017
• Ischaemic stroke – Vitamin D doubled survival (Injection followed by monthly 60,000 IU) – RCT Aug 2016
• Stroke patients need more than 2,000 IU of vitamin D (found this time in Japan) – RCT June 2019

Post-Stroke better if Vitamin D actually gets to cells

• Resveratrol fights Parkinson, Alzheimers, Diabetes, Cardiovascular, ALS, Stroke, etc.– Nov 2018
• Stroke rehabilitation (and prevention) requires Vitamin D actually getting to cells – March 2020

11 studies in both categories of Depression and Stroke

This list is automatically updated