A new study conducted by researchers at Columbia university's college of Physicians and Surgeons in New York and published in The Journal of the American Medical Association, reports that moderate alcohol consumption, up to two drinks per day, has a protective effect against ischemic or blood clot strokes. the research was conducted between July 1993 and June 1997.
Researchers found that participants who consumed up to two alcoholic drinks each day were half as likely to have suffered clot-type strokes as non-drinkers. The protective effect of alcohol consumption was detected in both younger and older groups, in men and women, and in whites, blacks and Hispanics. However, the research also found that heavy alcohol consumption, seven or more drinks per day, significantly increased the risk of stroke.
The results of the Columbia research support the National Stroke Association Stroke Prevention Guidelines regarding the beneficial effects of moderate alcohol consumption.