A new analysis looked at proteins involved in the body's inflammation system to see their link to stroke risk. Researchers studied over 47,000 healthy adults from the UK Biobank and also combined data from four other studies with more than 2,000 people who had already had a stroke.
In the UK Biobank group, people with higher levels of certain TNF pathway proteins had a greater chance of having their first stroke. For example, a standard increase in TNFR1 was linked to about a 22% higher chance of stroke. In the group that had already had a stroke, higher TNF-alpha levels were linked to about a 50% higher chance of another stroke or other major heart problems.
The study also found TNF proteins in the fatty plaques that can clog neck arteries, with more of these proteins in the most dangerous parts of the plaque. This suggests a possible reason why these proteins might be involved in stroke.
However, this was an observational study, so it cannot prove that TNF proteins cause strokes. The findings support looking at therapies that target TNF for stroke prevention, but more research is needed.