Report: Stroke Risk Can Increase with Alcohol

7/22/2010

One of the most important reasons for people to consider a life insurance policy is to provide financial security for loved ones in the event of a sudden death.

A common cause of death in the U.S. is stroke, which can often be avoided by a long-term trend of eating healthy and exercising regularly. According to the National Stroke Association, it is the third-leading cause of death in the U.S., and 80 percent of them are preventable.

This week, the American Heart Association (AHA) announced that the risk for a stroke actually doubles in the hour after a person consumes beer, wine or liquor.

However, the AHA notes that this is mostly just a short-term effect, since consuming less than two drinks a day in the long term actually seems to help guard against strokes.

"The evidence on heavy drinking is consistent: Both in the long- and short-term it raises stroke risk. But we're finding it's more complicated with light to moderate drinking," said Murray Mittleman, senior author of the stroke onset study.

Strokes and heart attacks affect Americans of all age groups and health categories each year. With this in mind, a life insurance policy helps protect families against the unexpected.