Medicine: Drinking Danger: Alcohol is linked to stroke

A generation ago, one might have been told that the occasional drink could help cut the risk of stroke. It was an appealing prescription, but over the years indications to the contrary have mounted. Last week the Journal of the American Medical Association published some of the strongest evidence to date. A twelve-year study, conducted by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and involving nearly 8,000 Hawaiian men between 45 and 68, found that heavy drinkers had nearly three times the risk of hemorrhagic stroke faced by teetotalers. Even light drinkers had a twofold risk. –

Hemorrhagic strokes occur when a blood vessel in the brain leaks or ruptures. Although only about 25% of strokes in the U.S. are hemorrhagic, they are more apt to be fatal than the more common type of stroke caused by blood clots. NHLBI researchers found that the effect of alcohol was independent of other risk factors for stroke, including age, weight, blood pressure and smoking. “We’re not advising people to quit drinking,” says Richard Donahue, the chief investigator, but “heavy drinkers are well advised to cut down.” Indeed, the study found that those who did so lowered their risk of stroke.