Wine During Middle Age May Increase Your Stroke Risk

First Posted: Jan 30, 2015 01:18 PM EST
Close

Is a glass of wine a day good for you? Previous studies have shown that the resveratrol from red wine, in particular, can be healthy for your heart, in moderation. Yet did you know that indulging in a large glass of wine a day during middle age could increase stroke risk? 

New findings published in the journal Stroke revealed that people who drank more in their fifties and sixties and had at least two alcoholic drinks per day--including one large glass of wine or a pint of strong lager--were at a 34 percent increased risk of stroke when compared to counterparts who consumed half that amount.

"We now have a clearer picture about these risk factors, how they change with age and how the influence of drinking alcohol shifts as we get older," said Pavla Kadlecova, of St Anne's University Hospital in the Czech Republic, via National Post. "For mid-aged adults, avoiding more than two drinks a day could be a way to prevent stroke in later productive age."

The national guidelines for alcohol consumption developed by the National Health and Medical Research Council to help reduce your risk of harm from alcohol note that a standard drink is 10 grams of pure alcohol. However, drink serving sizes are oftentimes more than one standard rink, and can increase the risk of liver and brain damage, heart disease, high blood pressure and certain types of cancers.

For the study, researchers looked at results from the Swedish Twin Registry of same-sex twins who answered questionnaires in 1967-70, all of who were under the age of 60 during the time. For identical pairs, siblings who had a stroke typically drank more than those who did not deal with the health event, suggesting a relations between stroke, regardless of genetics and lifestyle.

"Alcohol is one of the world's leading causes of ill-health, and regularly drinking large amounts can significantly increase your risk of a stroke," Dr. Shamim Quadir, research communications manager at the Stroke Association concluded. "Enjoying alcohol in moderation, taking regular exercise and eating a balanced diet are simple ways to reduce your stroke risk."

For more great nature science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).       

See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone

©2017 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.

Join the Conversation

Real Time Analytics