According to a new study, drinking more than 2 alcoholic drinks each day in middle-age increases a person’s risk of stroke more than typical risk factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes.Researchers used data gathered between 1967 and 2010 from 11,644 individuals from the Swedish Twin Registry to compare the effects of heavy drinking on risk of stroke. Heavy drinking was defined as 2 or more drinks per day and light drinking as less than 0.5 drinks per day. Results demonstrated that heavy drinking increased the risk of stroke by 34{c754d8f4a6af077a182a96e5a5e47e38ce50ff83c235579d09299c097124e52d} in comparison to light drinking. The heavy drinkers were also more likely to have a stroke 5 years earlier than their counterparts, regardless of genetics or other factors. In addition, middle-aged heavy drinkers exhibited a risk of stroke comparable
Tag: alcoholism
Mental Illness Can Have More Impact on Life Expectancy Than Smoking
According to researchers at Oxford University, mental illness has an effect on life expectancy that is equivalent or greater than smoking. A great deal of effort and spending has been invested into smoking cessation programs and smoking awareness campaigns. This new research should prompt the government, health care and social services to shift their focus in an effort to increase life expectancy for those living with mental illness.Researchers reviewed 20 review papers from clinical studies that reported mortality risk among mental health problems, substance and alcohol abuse, dementia, autistic spectrum disorders, learning disability and childhood behavioral disorders. These studies included over 1.7 million individuals and over 250,000 deaths. They also used studies and reviews that reported life expectancy and risk of dying by suicide. All results were compared to