Research shows that drinking large
amounts of alcohol can greatly increase
your risk of having a stroke.
This is because
alcohol contributes to a number of medical
conditions that are risk factors for stroke:
• High blood pressure is the most
important risk factor for stroke,
contributing to over 50% of all strokes in
the UK. Drinking too much alcohol raises
your blood pressure.
• Diabetes doubles your risk of stroke.
Drinking alcohol can change the way your
body responds to insulin – a hormone that
helps use up the sugar in your blood. This
can lead to type 2 diabetes.
• Being overweight increases your risk
of having a stroke. Alcoholic drinks tend
to be very high in calories, so regularly
drinking lots of alcohol can make it more
difficult to maintain a healthy weight.
• Atrial fibrillation and alcohol
Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
can trigger atrial fibrillation – a type
of irregular heartbeat. Atrial fibrillation
increases your risk of stroke by five times, because it can cause blood clots to form
in the heart. If these clots move up into
the brain, it can lead to stroke.
• Liver damage due to too much alcohol
can stop the liver from making substances
that help your blood to clot. This can
increase your risk of having a stroke
caused by bleeding in your brain.
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