Light to Moderate Alcohol Use Reduces Risk of Stroke, Study Finds

A single glass of wine or beer per week can significantly reduce a man’s risk of a stroke, according to the biggest study ever to examine the link. The study, reported in today’s New England Journal of Medicine, found that light to moderate drinkers can lower their risk by about 20% compared with teetotalers. It involved more than 22,000 men, but one of the researchers said the results could also apply to women. They also found that up to one glass per day was beneficial, but there were not enough heavy drinkers in the study to look at the effects of more than that.

Numerous studies have shown that modest drinking reduces the risk of heart disease, but evidence of its effect on strokes has been less convincing. The American Heart Assn. estimates that 600,000 people in the United States suffer a stroke each year.

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Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II