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Moderate-to-Heavy Drinking Heightens Stroke Risk in Young Adults
Moderate-to-heavy alcohol consumption was linked with a heightened risk for stroke among adults in their 20s and 30s, with the level of risk increasing the longer people reported such drinking behaviors, according to a study recently published online by Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Findings in the study were based on records from a Korean national health database for individuals in their 20s and 30s who had 4 annual health exams. Individuals, who were followed for an average of 6 years, were asked about their alcohol consumption each year, including the number of days per week they drank and the number of standard drinks they consumed each time.
The study included more than 1.5 million people, 3153 of whom had a stroke during the study. Moderate-to-heavy drinkers were found to be 20% more likely to have a stroke than those who were light drinkers or did not consume alcohol. The study defined light drinkers as those consuming less than 105 grams per week or less than 15 grams per day.
As drinking increased, so too did stroke risk: Individuals with 2 years of moderate-to-heavy drinking had a 19% increased risk of stroke, those with 3 years had a 22% increased risk, and people with 4 years had a 23% increased risk. Researchers accounted for other stroke risk factors—such as high blood pressure, smoking, and body mass index—when calculating results.
“The rate of stroke among young adults has been increasing over the last few decades, and stroke in young adults causes death and serious disability,” study author Eue-Keun Choi, MD, PhD, of Seoul National University in the Republic of Korea, said in a news release. “If we could prevent stroke in young adults by reducing alcohol consumption, that could potentially have a substantial impact on the health of individuals and the overall burden of stroke on society.”
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