Heavy alcohol consumption in midlife may shorten the time to a stroke event by 5 years, although the increased risk of stroke in heavy drinkers also decreases with age, researchers have found.
Analysis of data from 11,644 individuals in the population-based Swedish Twin Registry showed that heavy drinkers – those who consumed more than two drinks a day – had a 34% greater risk of stroke, compared with very light drinkers (less than 0.5 drinks per day), and their time to stroke was shorter by more than 5 years, according to data published online Jan. 29 in Stroke [doi:10.1161/STROKEAHA.114.006724].
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Age had a significant impact on the effect of alcohol: Increasing age was related to increasing risk of stroke in nondrinkers but a decreasing risk of stroke for heavy drinkers, whose risk of stroke was highest soon after the baseline median age of 50 years and reached almost zero at 85 years.
“Our results show that risk of stroke associated with heavy drinking in midlife is at least comparable with stroke risk associated with risk factors such as diabetes mellitus or hypertension; however, the age when those risk factors are relevant is different,” wrote Pavla Kadlecová, M.Sc., of St. Anne’s Hospital, Brno, Czech Republic, and colleagues.
The study was funded by European Regional Development Fund–FNUSA-ICRC. There were no conflicts of interest disclosed.