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.
In a study from Seoul National University, scientists found people in their 20s and 30s who drink moderate to heavy amounts of alcohol may be more likely to have a stroke as young adults than people who drink low amounts or no alcohol.
The risk of stroke increased the more years people reported moderate or heavy drinking.
In the study, the team looked at records from a Korean national health database for people in their 20s and 30s who had four annual health exams.
These people were asked about alcohol consumption each year. They were followed for an average of six years.
They were asked the number of days per week they drank alcohol and the number of standard drinks per time. People who drank 105 grams or more per week were considered moderate or heavy drinkers.
More than 1.5 million people were included in the study. A total of 3,153 had a stroke during the study.
The team found people who were moderate to heavy drinkers for two or more years of the study were about 20% more likely to have a stroke than people who were light drinkers or did not drink alcohol.
Light drinkers were those who drank less than 105 grams per week, or less than 15 ounces per day.
As the number of years of moderate to heavy drinking increased, so did the risk of stroke.
People with two years of moderate to heavy drinking had a 19% increased risk, people with three years had a 22% increased risk and people with four years had a 23% increased risk.
These results were after researchers accounted for other factors that could affect the risk of stroke, such as high blood pressure, smoking, and body mass index.
The association was mainly due to an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke, or stroke caused by bleeding in the brain.
The team says more than 90% of the burden of stroke overall can be attributed to potentially modifiable risk factors, including alcohol consumption.
Reducing alcohol consumption should be emphasized in young adults with heavy drinking habits as part of any strategy to prevent stroke.
If you care about stroke, please read studies about blinding eye disease linked to stroke, and MIND diet could slow down cognitive decline after stroke.
For more information about stroke, please see recent studies about antioxidants that could help reduce the risk of dementia, and coffee may help lower your risk of stroke, dementia.
The study was conducted by Eue-Keun Choi et al and published in Neurology.
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