Moderate drinking has a beneficial effect on the health even after a stroke. This is the conclusion of a large-scale study among American doctors.

It is known that excessive alcohol consumption will increase the risk of a first stroke, while moderate alcohol consumption has a rather protective effect. Patients are often advised to avoid alcohol after a first stroke, although there is little available data on the role of alcohol in a later (secondary) stroke.

To obtain more clarity American researchers organized an ambitious survey with more than 100 000 doctors of between 40 and 84 years of age who were asked to fill in an extensive questionnaire.

1 320 out of the total number of doctors reported a stroke. The survey focused on those cases that were followed for an average of four and a half years. The risk of death among very moderate drinkers (one to six units per week) appeared to be 33% lower than among total abstainers. The risk of a heart disorder was as much as 43% lower.

The researchers concluded that moderate alcohol consumption may indeed be recommended after a first stroke, or for the group of middle-class white males at any rate. The results may perhaps be different for women, or for different social or ethnic groups of the population, even though, thus far, there are no indications to suggest as much.

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