Analysis on the Risk of Cerebral Infarction According to Changes in Alcohol Consumption
A collaboration of research teams from the Department of Family Medicine at Samsung Medical Center and the Department of Statistics at Soongsil University analyzed data from the National Health Insurance Services, and found that the greater the amount of alcohol consumed, greater the risk of cerebral infarction. This study was published in STROKE, the most prestigious international academic journal in the field of stroke.
The research team analyzed the risk of cerebral infarction due to changes in alcohol consumption among 4.5 million people aged 40 and over who participated in national health examinations in both 2009 and 2011.
Comparison of association in the changes in alcohol consumption that has on the risk of cerebral infarction were made by dividing the groups according to the amount of alcohol consumed per day: non-drinking group, mild drinking group (<15g), moderate drinking group (15-30g), and heavy drinking group (>30g).
According to the research team, compared to sustained drinking group that had no changes in alcohol consumption for two years, the increase in the risk of cerebral infarction was most pronounced in the mild drinking group when the amount of alcohol consumption increased. The risk of cerebral infarction increased by 11% when increased from mild to moderate drinking and by 28% when increased to heavy drinking.
In the case of non-drinkers, the risk of stroke was slightly lowered by 3% when they entered the mild drinking group, but when they reached the heavy drinking group, the risk of cerebral infarction increased by 5% compared to those who did not drink. Conversely, when high-risk drinkers reduced alcohol intake, their risk of stroke also decreased.
Furthermore, this study showed that the risk of cerebral infarction increased by 15% to 28%, regardless of the amount of alcohol consumed, when alcohol consumption was completely stopped in all drinking groups. However, the research team presumed that this group was already experiencing health issues and subsequently could not drink alcohol.
In addition, the risk of cerebral infarction was 12% lower in those who continued to drink at low-risk (mild) compared to those who did not drink at all. However, it was made clear that drinking alcohol cannot be recommended as a reason to prevent cerebral infarction, for this can be a cause leading to other health problems.