Drinking alcohol, moderately or excessively, between the ages of 20 and 30 increases the odds of having a stroke in young adults compared with those who drink little or no alcohol, according to a study published in Neurology. Medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. In addition, the risk increased the more years they reported moderate or heavy alcohol use.
“The rate of stroke among young adults has increased in recent decades, and at this stage, they cause death and severe disability,” said study author Dr Eue-Keun Choi of Seoul National University in the Republic of Korea. “If we can prevent strokes in young adults By reducing alcohol consumption, that could have a substantial impact on people’s health and the overall burden of stroke in society.”
The study looked at records from a Korean national health database for people in their 20s and 30s, followed for an average of six years, who underwent four annual health exams.
They were asked about alcohol consumption each year. Also on the number of days a week that they drank alcohol and the number of glasses on each occasion. Thus, people who drank 105 grams or more per week (the equivalent of 15 grams a day, or a little more than one drink per day) were considered moderate or excessive drinkers.
A standard drink in the United States contains about 14 grams of alcohol, which is equivalent to 350 ml of beer, 150 ml of wine, or 40 ml of liquor.
More than 1.5 million people were included in the research, of whom 3,153 suffered a stroke during the follow-up period. Those who drank moderately to heavily for two or more years of the study were 20% more likely to have a stroke than people who drank lightly (less than 105 grams per week, or less than 15 grams per day) or they did not drink alcohol.
As increased the number of years with moderate or excessive alcohol consumption, also increased risk of stroke. Those with two years of moderate to heavy drinking had a 19% increased risk, those with three years had a 22% increased risk, and those with four years had a 23% increased chance. These results came after the researchers took into account other factors that could affect stroke risk, such as high blood pressure, smoking and body mass index. The association was mainly due to an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
For any type of stroke, people with four years of moderate or heavy drinking had a stroke rate of 0.51 per 1,000 person-years, compared with 0.48 for three years of drinking, 0. 43 for two years, 0.37 for one year, and 0.31 for none.
“Since more than 90% of the overall burden of stroke can be attributed to potentially modifiable risk factorsincluding alcohol consumption, and given that stroke in young adults seriously affects both the individual and society by limiting their activities during their most productive years, reducing alcohol consumption in young adults who regularly drink should be promoted. overuse as part of any strategy to prevent stroke,” says Choi.
Among the limitations of the study is that only Korean people were included, so the results may not be applicable to people of other races and ethnicities; and that alcohol consumption was self-reported.