USDA funding supports SIU research linking nutrition and stroke recovery
A stroke can change a life in a matter of minutes. Recovery, however, unfolds over months and years and is shaped by many factors that people can influence, including what they eat. With new funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), SIU researcher Nafisa Jadavji, PhD, is taking a closer look at how nutrition may support brain health and recovery after stroke.
The USDA award builds on years of work in Jadavji’s lab focused on vitamin B12 and other nutrients that play a role in how the brain responds to injury. Her research asks practical questions with real-world relevance. Could nutritional status affect how well the brain heals after a stroke? Are there simple, evidence-based strategies that could one day complement medical care and rehabilitation?
These questions matter to the roughly 795,000 people who have strokes each year in the U.S. as well as stroke victims worldwide. In 2022, 1 in 6 deaths (17.5%) from cardiovascular disease in the U.S. was due to stroke. Stroke remains a leading cause of disability.
Exploring nutrition’s role in stroke recovery while educating
Jadavji’s laboratory team is methodically exploring the brain, tracking changes that accumulate over time. Graduate students examine how the brain responds to low oxygen conditions similar to those that occur during a stroke. They study how nutrients influence recovery at a cellular level, building a clearer picture of what improves brain function after injury.
Undergraduate researcher Nora Jones is conducting some of the experiments. She joined the lab with an interest in medicine and neuroscience. “Good science takes time and care,” Jones said. “Dr. Jadavji emphasizes doing the work the right way, even if it means slowing down, reviewing results again and asking harder questions.” That approach, Jones says, has changed how she thinks about research and about patient outcomes.
Nutrition research often sits at the intersection of daily life and long-term health. By strengthening the science behind it, the group’s commitment to rigor will help produce findings that are reliable, practical and ready to inform future studies and potential treatments.
The funding also reflects SIU Medicine’s broader mission. Research does not happen in isolation. It happens alongside education, mentorship and a responsibility to translate discovery into better health. Jadavji’s lab trains the next generation of scientists and physicians while keeping patients at the center of the work.
For people recovering from stroke, progress rarely comes all at once. It comes through steady gains, guided by evidence and supported by a team that understands the journey. With support from the USDA, SIU Medicine researchers are helping move that progress forward, right here in southern Illinois.
