Mar 19, 2014 11:19 AM EDT By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Drinking alcohol several times a week could increase the risk of stroke mortality in men, regardless of the amount consumed, according to a recent study.

Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland found that people who consumed alcohol more frequently than twice a week had more than a threefold risk of stroke mortality than people who do not consume alcohol at all. The risk of stroke mortality is elevated irrespective of the amount of alcohol consumed.

The relationship between alcohol consumption and ischaemic stroke shows a J curve pattern, "means that in people who are moderate consumers of alcohol, the risk of stroke is the lowest, while heavy consumption of alcohol increases the risk of stroke," researchers said in the study.

Researchers found that the risk of cerebral hemorrhage increases linearly as the consumption of alcohol increases: the higher the amount of alcohol consumed, the higher the risk of stroke.

For the study, researchers measured the alcohol consumption of more than 2,600 middle-aged men with the help of a Nordic alcohol survey charting the amount of alcohol consumed at one time and the average number of drinking occasions in the preceding 12 months.

In addition to alcohol, other significant risk factors for stroke include elevated blood pressure, coronary artery disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, diabetes, smoking, overweight, asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis, and elevated cholesterol levels.

Their findings were recently published in Acta Neurologica Scandinavica.

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