Even a drink increases the risk of stroke, according to a study



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In the new study, researchers found that one to two drinks a day increased the risk of stroke by 10 to 15% and that four daily drinks increased the risk of having a stroke of 35%. %. A drink was defined either as a small glass of wine, a bottle of beer or a simple measure of spirits.

"Moderate alcohol consumption for stroke does not have a protective effect, and even moderate alcohol consumption increases the chances of having a stroke," said Zhengming Chen, a co-ordinator. author of the study, in a press release from the Nuffield Department of Population Health. "The results of the heart attack were less well defined, so we plan to collect more evidence."

Researchers from Peking University, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Oxford University have discovered the impact of alcohol on stroke by tracking 500,000 Chinese for 10 years.

What too much alcohol can do for your health?

The researchers explain that, in East Asian populations, there are common genetic variants that significantly reduce alcohol tolerance because they cause an extremely uncomfortable flushing reaction after drinking. Although these genetic variants significantly reduce alcohol consumption, they are not related to other lifestyle-related factors, such as smoking.

Other scientists generally agreed with the findings of the study, but some pointed to possible gaps.

Worldwide, 1 in 20 deaths is due to alcohol consumption

"This study uses a novel genetic approach to try to determine the effect of alcohol consumption on the risk of cardiovascular disease," said Tim Chico, a professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of Sheffield. .

"Although it has been previously suggested that a moderate consumption of alcohol may reduce the risk of stroke or heart disease, this new study adds to recent evidence that no protective effect is found even at a low level of consumption, "he added. "Unfortunately, the hope that alcohol protects one way or another against cardiovascular disease is probably unfounded."

David Spiegelhalter, professor of risk understanding at the University of Cambridge, said the study had given him doubts about his earlier theories. "I've always been reasonably confident that a moderate consumption of alcohol was protecting cardiovascular disease, but now I have some doubts," he said.

Dr. Stephen Burgess, of Cambridge University, pointed out the limitations of the study, stating that it only covered a Chinese population and focused on spirits and not on wine. But he acknowledged that "light alcohol consumption has no cardiovascular benefit and that the risk of stroke increases even with moderate consumption of light alcohol".

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