In Young Adults, Moderate-to-Heavy Drinking Linked to Higher Risk of Stroke 

According to a clinical study published in Neurology, people in their 20s and 30s who drink moderate to heavy amounts of alcohol may be more likely to have a stroke as young adults than people who drink low amounts or no alcohol. The more years that people drank moderately or heavily, the risk of stroke increased. 

During the study, people who were moderate-to-heavy drinkers were about 20% more likely to have a stroke than people who were light drinkers or those that did not drink alcohol. Light drinkers were those who drank less than 105 grams per week (less than 15 grams per day).As the number of years of moderate-to-heavy drinking increased, so did the risk of stroke. People with 2 years of moderate-to-heavy drinking had a 19% increased risk, those with 3 years had a 22% increased risk, and those with 4 years had a 23% increased risk. The association was mainly due to an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke.

“Since more than 90% of the burden of stroke overall can be attributed to potentially modifiable risk factors, including alcohol consumption, and since stroke in young adults severely impacts both the individual and society by limiting their activities during their most productive years, reducing alcohol consumption should be emphasized in young adults with heavy drinking habits as part of any strategy to prevent stroke,” said Eue-Keun Choi, MD, PhD, Seoul National University. 
The study looked at records from a Korean national health database for people in their 20s and 30s who had 4 annual health exams. They were asked about alcohol consumption each year, and they were followed for an average of 6 years. 

More than 1.5 million people were included in the study. A total of 3,153 had a stroke during the study.