This Daily Habit May Cause a Deadly Stroke

Here’s another reason to close out your tab early: Drinking too much alcohol during your middle-age years can raise your future stroke risk, finds new research from the University of South Florida.

In the study, “heavy” drinkers—defined as people who downed more than two beverages a day—had a 34 percent greater risk of stroke during the 43-year follow-up than those who consumed less than half a drink a day.

That third daily cocktail increased the participants’ stroke risk even more than diabetes or high blood pressure did, at least until they hit the age of 75.



Surprisingly, people who chugged less than a drink a day had an even lower incidence of stroke than those who completely abstained from drinking.

This can partially be explained by alcohol’s effects on the different types of strokes. When most people experience a stroke, they have the ischemic kind, which is due to clogged and blocked arteries, says study coauthor Ross Andel, Ph.D.

A moderate amount of alcohol may actually be protective in this case, since the booze can thin your blood and prevent clots.

But too much hooch can weaken blood vessels to the point where they break. This causes a different kind of stroke, called a hemorrhagic stroke, says Andel. And heavy drinkers were more than twice as likely to suffer one as those who maxed out on half a drink a day.

If you’re a big boozer, consider this other reason to dial things back a bit—no matter your age. A recent study found that A Drink a Day Can Reduce the Risk of Heart Failure, but jacking that number to three can up your odds of early death.

And in the meantime, wipe out any other unhealthy habits that could raise your risk of stroke, including smoking: Your chances of having an ischemic stroke almost double if you’re a puffer.

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Article source: http://www.menshealth.com/health/alcohol-and-stroke-risk