Progesterone and Stroke

The fifth leading cause of death worldwide is seemingly dependent on an electrolyte imbalance. How? Well, that is a difficult answer. There is an immense amount of research that has been conducted on the mechanisms and chemistry behind stroke susceptibility. This research is also becoming more readily available to the general public through news articles. One such article is from the Huff Post, titled “The #1 Nutrient You Need to Avoid A Stroke”. 

This article delves into the importance of electrolytes, restating the known fact that women are more prone to stroke, and introduces some newfound information. This article references a study where out of 90,000 women from ages 50-70, those who had higher potassium consumption had a decreased risk for stroke. Why would potassium intake influence stroke susceptibility in women? To answer this, one must first assess the biochemical difference between females and males. Females produce progesterone, known as the female sex hormone. As women age, their progesterone levels decrease. The article, “Progesterone: not just a sex hormone anymore?”, introduces newfound scientific evidence which suggests that progesterone participates in renal electrolyte balance. This would then suggest that progesterone is a central element in the likelihood of having a stroke.

            Progesterone has been researched by professor Meharvan Singh, which held a seminar at Loyola University Chicago, in which he tied progesterone to the susceptibility of stroke. His publication, “Let-7iinhibition enhances progesterone-induced functional recovery in a mouse model of ischemia”, introduces the promise of Let-7i inhibition’s clinical benefits towards neurological damage recovery and prevention. Progesterone is found to induce the release of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) through pgmc1, which results in synaptogenesis, neuronal growth, and neuronal preservation. Singh’s study, therefore, shows promise towards advancements in Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and other neurodegenerative diseases and their clinical treatment/prevention.

Sources: 

Nguyen, T., Su, C., & Singh M. (2018) “Let-7i inhibition enhances progesterone-induced         functional recovery in a mouse model of ischemia.” Proceedings o the National Academy of   Sciences, 115(41), doi: 10.1073/pnas.1803384115.Neurodegenerative Disease and BDNF

S.Wingo12, Charles, and Megan M.Greenlee12. “Progesterone: Not Just a Sex Hormone Anymore?” Kidney International, Elsevier, 16 Dec. 2015, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0085253815550278.

“The #1 Nutrient You Need To Avoid A Stroke.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 25 Aug. 2016, www.huffpost.com/entry/the-1-nutrient-you-need-to-avoid-a-stroke_n_57b74acfe4b0b51733a34ff8?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMsk-zTB7lFykOIzKNbTszVzr40lDw_b-BSGF1MNjVHuq8I13YS_lRTdRQxN7ppzleHwrM1gFaP0GZRWUzjT0BXmg3-wcv3b2nJ41iAEyrtIAUrzOik9iov6RP3xDAHvGnaLI0SjQrRCSuPbZLVlrpy5aX1Le_gtGKM8UN3S22Yu.