Moderate to heavy drinking in young adults linked to greater stroke risk

Young adults in their 20s and 30s who drink moderate to heavy amounts of alcohol may be more likely to have a stroke than those who drink low amounts or no alcohol, a new study reports.

The more years people reported moderate or heavy drinking, the more the risk of stroke increased, according to the research, published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

“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 co-author Eue-Keun Choi from the Seoul National University in South Korea said.

“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,” Dr Choi said.

In the study, scientists assessed records from the Korean national health database for people in their 20s and 30s who had four annual health exams.

Researchers then followed the people for an average of six years and asked them about their alcohol consumption each year.

The participants were asked the number of days per week they drank alcohol and the number of standard drinks they had each time.

Those who drank 105g or more per week were considered moderate or heavy drinkers – equal to about 15 grams per day, or slightly more than one drink per day, and nearly 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of liquor.

In the study, light drinkers were those who consumed less than 15 grams per day.

The data of more than 1.5 million people were assessed in the study during which a total of 3,153 had a stroke.

Researchers found that people who were moderate to heavy drinkers for two or more years of the study were about 20 per cent more likely to have a stroke than those who were light drinkers or did not drink alcohol.

The association was mainly found with hemorrhagic stroke – a type of stroke caused by bleeding in the brain.

They also found that people with two years of moderate to heavy drinking had a nearly 20 per cent increased risk, and those with three years had a 22 per cent increased risk.

The study also accounted for other factors that could affect stroke risk, including high blood pressure, smoking, and body mass index, scientists said.

“Since more than 90 per cent of the burden of stroke overall can be attributed to potentially modifiable risk factors, including alcohol consumption, and since stroke in young adults severely impacts both the individual and society by limiting their activities during their most productive years, reducing alcohol consumption should be emphasized in young adults with heavy drinking habits as part of any strategy to prevent stroke,” Dr Choi said.

Citing the limitation of the analysis, researchers said the study only included Korean people.

They say further studies, including more races and ethnicities, could shed more light on the risk involved.