A new study has shown that even
light-to-moderate consumption of alcoholic drink increases blood pressure and
the chances of having a stroke.
Published in the Lancet medical
journal, the study contradicts previous findings that suggest moderate drinking
could prevent health diseases.
Researchers from Peking
University, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and the University of
Oxford followed the effects of alcohol on stroke in 500,000 Chinese people for
10 years.
The researchers said Chinese
formed the study group because of their distinct gene combination which reduces
their alcohol tolerance level. This genetic variant can make consuming
alcoholic drink an unpleasant experience and lead to flushing.
The scientists were able to study
the impact of alcohol on people drawn from health, lifestyle and genetic data.
The study found that some didn’t
drink because of their genetic mutation, while female-participants drank little
despite their genetic variance.
The men on average drank four
drinks a day and were at a far higher risk of suffering high blood pressure and
strokes.
At the end, the study revealed
that one glass of alcoholic drink a day increased stroke risk by 10 per cent to
15 per cent and that four drinks a day increased the risk of having a stroke by
35 per cent.
It means no matter the type of
alcoholic drink you reach for, don’t expect it to protect you from stroke or
other disease.
For the purposes of the study,
one drink was a small glass of wine, a bottle of beer, or a single measure of
spirits.
Zhengming Chen, co-author of the
study, said in a press release that “there are no protective effects of
moderate alcohol intake against stroke. Even moderate alcohol consumption
increases the chances of having a stroke.”
Although many leading scientists
agreed with the study’s findings, Stephen Burgees, a researcher at the
University of Cambridge noted the study was limited to Chinese and focused on
spirits, beer and not wine.
Burgees further agreed with the
study’s findings “that risk of stroke increases even with moderate light
alcohol consumption.”
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