| Stroke Recovery Takes GUTS—Literally | Dear e-Alert Reader,
Imagine you’re just days after suffering a stroke. Your life has been turned upside down.
You struggle with slurred speech, partial paralysis, and the overwhelming fear of losing your independence.
For your loved ones, the situation is equally daunting—recovery feels uncertain, and the road ahead is shrouded in questions.
Will you regain mobility? Will your mind stay sharp?
While traditional stroke recovery often focuses on rehabilitation therapies, groundbreaking new research suggests a surprising player in the healing process: your gut.
(Article continues below.) |
|
|
A study published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, led by Dr. Farida Sohrabji, sheds new light on how critical gut health is to long-term stroke recovery.
“Minutes after a stroke occurs, normal gut anatomy is completely disrupted,” Dr. Sohrabji explains. The cells that form the gut’s protective barrier break down, allowing harmful bacteria to leak into the bloodstream.
This triggers inflammation throughout the body, including the brain, which can worsen the damage caused by the stroke and impede recovery.
“If you just repair the brain, you will see short-term effects but not long-term improvement because the gut is still leaky,” Dr. Sohrabji notes.
This finding highlights an important but often overlooked connection between the gut and brain—a relationship so critical that healing the gut could unlock better outcomes for stroke survivors.
The study explored the use of Insulin-like Growth Factor (IGF-1), a protein with powerful regenerative properties, directly applied to the gut. Researchers found that IGF-1 repaired damaged gut structures, reduced inflammation, and improved cognitive outcomes in stroke models.
This suggests that the gut plays a central role in not just physical recovery but also brain health after a stroke.
“This tells us that if you don’t repair the gut, you won’t see improvement in long-term function,” Dr. Sohrabji emphasizes. By addressing the gut’s integrity, patients may see enhanced recovery in areas like memory, reasoning, and overall mental sharpness.
Building on the success of IGF-1, the research team is investigating the use of stem cells to accelerate gut repair.
Led by Dr. Kathiresh Kumar Mani, the team is exploring how stem cell transplants from healthy donors can rebuild the gut lining. The results so far are promising—not only do the stem cells repair gut damage, but they also improve stroke outcomes in unexpected ways.
“We were fairly sure that (the stem cells) would repair the gut,” Dr. Sohrabji says. “What was not known, and what was a very pleasant surprise to us, was that in that process, it also improved stroke outcomes.” This dual benefit offers hope for a more holistic approach to stroke care.
Stroke is one of the leading causes of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, with long-term consequences that extend far beyond physical limitations.
For caregivers, the burden of helping a loved one manage these cognitive and emotional changes can be overwhelming. This research could pave the way for treatments that address both immediate and long-term stroke impacts by targeting the gut.
And for practitioners, these findings reinforce the importance of a whole-body approach to stroke recovery.
Beyond traditional rehabilitation, therapies that restore gut health could be essential to achieving meaningful, lasting progress.
As we continue to learn more about the gut-brain connection, one thing is clear: healing the gut isn’t just a secondary concern—it’s a cornerstone of recovery.
To the importance of a healthy gut,
Rachel Mace
Managing Editorial Director, e-Alert
with contributions from the research team
P.S. Stress, sleep, and your gut. Learn about the link between this surprising trio, here.
Sources:
Healing the Gut Improves Stroke Recovery, Study Suggests. (2024, November 26). Integrativepractitioner.com. https://www.integrativepractitioner.com/brain-health/news/healing-the-gut-to-improve-stroke-recovery-study-suggests
Not yet a Health Sciences Institute’s monthly newsletter subscriber? |
|
|
