Alcohol and Signs of a Stroke - June 17, 2007
We all know that heavy alcohol consumption can lead to heart attacks and strokes, and a new study confirms that heavy drinkers are at a significantly higher risk for suffering an ischemic stroke.
But the same study indicates they lower their risk of stroke if they cut back their drinking or stop drinking entirely.
And - most controversially - the same study suggests that drinking a moderate amount of alcohol may even protect against the risk of ischemic stroke, according to a recent issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Ischemic stroke is the most common of the signs of a stroke. It is caused when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain, damaging or destroying brain cells and resulting in impaired bodily function and sometimes death.
Over the years, we've learned that reducing risks for stroke is pretty much like reducing risks for heart attacks, and that means eating better, exercising more, reducing our blood pressure, quitting smoking, and avoiding heavy drinking.
This latest study, looked at 677 people who had suffered a first stroke and confirmed that large amounts of alcohol are bad.
Heavy drinkers who consume seven or more drinks per day are at almost three time’s higher risk for ischemic stroke, according to the study. (A drink is usually defined as a 12 ounce bottle of beer or wine cooler, a 5 ounce glass of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 30-proof distilled spirits.)
That agrees with earlier studies on alcohol and strokes. However, these researchers also found that heavy drinkers who quit or reduced their drinking to no more than two drinks a day were able to reduce their risk of stroke.
The controversial results of the study found that people who consumed moderated amounts of alcohol - defined as up to two drinks a day - actually were at 45 percent lower risk for ischemic stroke than non-drinkers.
There is a continuing debate within the medical community about whether moderate drinking of alcohol really is beneficial, and the report conceded that previous studies on the effects of moderate alcohol on ischemic strokes is contradictory.
"While no study has shown benefit in recommending alcohol consumption to those who do not drink, our data support the view, endorsed by the National Stroke Association in its Stroke Prevention Guidelines, that among those who are moderate drinkers, continued consumption may provide a reduction of ischemic stroke risk."
In other words, if you don't drink alcohol, don't start now, in hopes of reducing your risk of stoke. Moderate alcohol consumption may or may not help. Heavy alcohol consumption greatly increases your risk of stroke (and heart disease in general), so if you are a heavy drinker, you should quit or cut back now.
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