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Does Alcohol Lower the Risk for Stroke?

Earlier this year, results from a case-control study indicated that moderate alcohol use was associated with a reduced risk for ischemic stroke (JW Feb 15 1999, p. 31, accession number 990129001, and JAMA 1999; 281:53). Now, in a prospective cohort study, researchers examined the same question using data collected during a previously published randomized trial involving 22,071 male U.S. physicians.

At baseline, 26 percent of subjects reported drinking alcohol less than once a week. During an average follow-up of 12 years, 679 men had a first stroke; most strokes were classified as ischemic. Compared with men who drank less than once a week, those who drank more than once a week had a significantly reduced risk for stroke (relative risk, 0.79) in an analysis adjusted for other risk factors. The adjusted relative risk remained at about 0.8 in subgroups reporting 1 drink per week, 2 to 4 drinks per week, 5 or 6 drinks per week, and at least 1 drink per day. Only 3 percent of the cohort reported 2 or more drinks per day; thus, the effect of heavy drinking could not be determined.

Comment: Once again, we find light-to-moderate alcohol intake to be associated with a vascular health benefit. However, given that this cohort consisted largely of healthy white men of high socioeconomic status, we must be cautious in generalizing from these results.

— AS Brett

Published in Journal Watch General Medicine November 30, 1999

Citation(s):

Berger K et al. Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption and the risk of stroke among U.S. male physicians. N Engl J Med 1999 Nov 18 341 1557-1564.

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