The fact that alcohol isn’t exactly good for us is well known. Despite its benefits, its negatives tend to weigh heavier than its positives. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that alcohol consumption can increase the risk of cancer, high blood pressure, digestive problems, and immune suppression.
Several studies have found that drinking increases your risk of stroke – particularly for young people who fall into this category. The risk of stroke in young people is rising, but strokes are more common in older people. The study found 3,153 strokes in 1.5 million young people.
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The second leading cause of death worldwide is stroke, which accounts for around 11% of all deaths annually, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
How Does Alcohol Consumption Affect Stroke Risk?
RN Tamar Rodney, Ph.D., spoke with Medical News Today about how drinking contributes to stroke risk. Dr. Rodney said, “Alcohol affects multiple body organs primarily because it is carried throughout the body via the blood.” How the body processes alcohol means it will affect multiple organs very quickly, including the brain.
High Alcohol Intake Causes Cardiovascular Problems
Dr. Debble Fetter, Ph.D., the assistant professor, noted that binge drinking and high alcohol consumption are linked to cardiovascular health outcomes, including:
- coronary heart disease
- stroke
- congestive heart failure
- atrial fibrillation (AFib)
- Hypertension
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A Review Of The Study’s Strengths And Limitations
It was possible to accurately identify associations between alcohol consumption patterns and patient subgroups due to the large sample size. Larsson said, “It is the first study that combines results from all prospective studies on alcohol consumption and hemorrhagic stroke.”
Due to individual patient data shortages, the meta-analysis could not use the same alcohol consumption categories across all studies. Since this is an observational study, it cannot prove causality between alcohol use and stroke risk.