# Small amount of alcohol could prevent strokes Study PTI feed , NewsToday . jpgFrom Aditi KhannaLondon , Nov 24 PTI A small amount of alcohol a day could reduce the risk of the most common type of stroke , Cambridge University researchers claimed today . The study of 20 , 000 adults found that up to three units of alcohol a day appeared to reduce the risk of an ischaemic stroke , where the blood supply is stopped due to a blood clot . These account for 85 per cent of all cases in the UK . However , the research by scientists at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and University of Cambridge in the UK warned that heavier drinking ? of any type of alcohol ? increased the risks of all types of strokes . Previous research has found an association between alcohol consumption and lower levels of fibrinogen ? a protein in the body which helps the formation of blood clots . While this may explain the association between light to moderate alcohol consumption and lower ischemic stroke risk , the adverse effect of alcohol consumption on blood pressure ? a major risk factor for stroke ? may increase the risk of haemorrhagic stroke and outweigh any potential benefit , explained Dr Susanna Larsson , lead author of the paper . According to the latest research , people were 10 per cent less likely to suffer an ischaemic stroke if they had up to one drink a day and eight per cent less likely if they had one or two drinks . Whether lighttomoderate alcohol consumption , generally defined as one to two drinks per day , is protective against cardiovascular disease remains a controversial topic . Alcohol consumption in moderation has been associated with increased highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol , improved insulin sensitivity , and decreased levels of fibrinogen and inflammatory markers , Dr Larsson at the Karolinska Institutet said . Heavy drinking is linked with an increased risk , rising from eight per cent higher for two to four drinks a day to 14 per cent higher for more than four , according to the research published in the journal BMC Medicine . PTI AK CPS AKJ CPSVersion 0 . 5 b Function I post the article ' s text as a comment if the website is adblocker unfriendly . I accept commands ! Powered by