Did you know that young adults who drink a lot of alcohol might be at a higher risk of getting a stroke?
A study showed that those in their 20s and 30s who drank a lot could have a stroke earlier than those who drank less or no alcohol.
The study was published online on November 2, 2022, in Neurology. The risk of having a stroke went up the longer people drank heavily.
Strokes among young adults have been on the rise over the past few years, and strokes can cause serious health problems or even death.
“If we could lower the chances of a stroke by reducing alcohol intake, this could greatly improve people’s health,” said study author Dr. Eue-Keun Choi, from Seoul National University in the Republic of Korea.
The Study: Looking into the Details
The researchers checked the health records of young adults in Korea who had four yearly health check-ups. Each year, they were asked about their drinking habits. They were followed for an average of six years.
The researchers asked them how often they drank and how much they drank each time. People who drank 105 grams or more per week were seen as heavy drinkers.
This amount equals a bit more than one drink a day. A standard drink in the U.S. contains about 14 grams of alcohol. This is the same as 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor.
More than 1.5 million people were part of the study. During the study, 3,153 of them had a stroke.
The Results: A Warning for Young Drinkers
People who drank heavily for two or more years of the study were about 20% more likely to have a stroke compared to those who drank less or no alcohol.
The risk of having a stroke went up the longer they drank heavily. For instance, people who drank heavily for two years had a 19% increased risk, three years had a 22% increased risk, and four years had a 23% increased risk.
These numbers were found after considering other things that could affect the risk of stroke, like high blood pressure, smoking, and body weight.
The study mainly found an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke. This is a type of stroke caused by bleeding in the brain.
The rate of stroke was higher for those who drank heavily for more years. For instance, those who drank heavily for four years had a stroke rate of 0.51 per 1,000 person-years, compared to 0.31 for those who didn’t drink.
Person-years is a measure that considers the number of people in the study and how long each person was part of it.
“Since more than 90% of the risk of stroke can be reduced by changing some habits, including drinking, reducing alcohol intake should be a key part of any plan to prevent strokes,” said Dr. Choi.
However, the study did have some limitations. It only included Korean people, so the findings might not apply to people of other races and ethnicities.
Also, people had to remember and report their own alcohol intake, so they might have made some mistakes.
If you care about stroke, please read studies about a breakfast linked to better blood vessel health, and olive oil could help lower risks of heart disease and stroke.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about how the Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and wild blueberries can benefit your heart and brain.
The study was published in Neurology.
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