Publicado em outubro 9, 2012 por HC

Foto: Infoescola

Comer tomates reduz risco de AVC – Comer tomates, ricos em licopeno, um potente antioxidante, reduz o risco de sofrer um Acidente Vascular Cerebral (AVC), revela estudo finlandês publicado nesta segunda-feira nos Estados Unidos. Matéria da AFP, no UOL Notícias (com informações adicionais do EcoDebate).

A pesquisa [Serum lycopene decreases the risk of stroke in men: A population-based follow-up study], que aparece na revista da American Academy of Neurology, indica que pessoas com taxas mais elevadas de licopeno no sangue têm 55% menos possibilidade de sofrer um AVC do que pessoas com taxas mais baixas deste antioxidante.

O estudo foi realizado na Finlândia com 1031 homens de entre 45 e 65 anos.

A taxa de licopeno no sangue foi medida antes do estudo e os participantes, monitorados durante doze anos em média, por um período no qual 67 sofreram algum tipo de acidente vascular cerebral.

Entre os 258 homens com baixas taxas de licopeno no sangue 25 sofreram AVC, contra apenas 11 no grupo de taxas mais elevadas, também com 259 indivíduos.

Os resultados foram, inclusive, mais definitivos quando os pesquisadores levaram em conta apenas os AVCs provocados por coágulo no sangue, e não por hemorragia.

Nestes casos, os participantes com níveis mais altos de licopeno apresentam um risco 59% menor de sofrer um AVC por coágulo em relação aos que apresentam taxas mais baixas.

“Esta pesquisa vem para consolidar as virtudes de um regime alimentar rico em frutas e verduras para reduzir o risco de acidente vascular”, assinala Jouni Karppi, da Universidade do Leste da Finlândia, em Kuopio, um dos principais autores do trabalho.

Serum lycopene decreases the risk of stroke in men: A population-based follow-up study
doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31826e26a6 Neurology October 9, 2012 vol. 79 no. 15 1540-1547

Serum lycopene decreases the risk of stroke in men

A population-based follow-up study

Jouni Karppi, PhD,
Jari A. Laukkanen, MD, PhD,
Juhani Sivenius, MD, PhD,
Kimmo Ronkainen, MSc and
Sudhir Kurl, MD

From the Department of Medicine, Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition (J.K., J.A.L., K.R., S.K.), University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio; Department of Internal Medicine (J.A.L.), Lapland Central Hospital, Rovaniemi; and Department of Neurology (J.S.), University Hospital of Kuopio and Brain Research and Rehabilitation Centre Neuron, Kuopio, Finland.

Correspondence & reprint requests to Dr. Karppi: jouni.karppi{at}uef.fi

Abstract

Objective: Intake of fruits and vegetables and levels of serum carotenoids have been associated with decreased risk of stroke, but the results have been inconsistent. The aim of the present study was to examine whether serum concentrations of major carotenoids, α-tocopherol and retinol, are related to any stroke and ischemic stroke in men.

Methods: The study population consisted of 1,031 Finnish men aged 46−65 years in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor cohort. Serum concentrations of carotenoids retinol and α-tocopherol were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. The association between the serum concentrations of lycopene α-carotene, β-carotene, α-tocopherol, and retinol and the risk of strokes was studied by using Cox proportional hazards models.

Results: A total of 67 strokes occurred, and 50 of these were ischemic strokes during a median of 12.1 follow-up years. After adjustment for age, examination year, BMI, systolic blood pressure, smoking, serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, diabetes, and history of stroke, men in the highest quartile of serum lycopene concentrations had 59% and 55% lower risks of ischemic stroke and any stroke, compared with men in the lowest quartile (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.45, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.25−0.95, p = 0.036 for any stroke and HR = 0.41; 95% CI 0.17−0.97, p = 0.042 for ischemic stroke). α-Carotene, β-carotene, α-tocopherol, and retinol were not related to the risk of strokes.

Conclusions: This prospective study shows that high serum concentrations of lycopene, as a marker of intake of tomatoes and tomato-based products, decrease the risk of any stroke and ischemic stroke in men.

EcoDebate, 09/10/2012