Excessive alcohol consumption when young increases the risk of stroke – breaking latest news

Researchers from Seoul University, directed by Eue-Keun Choi, in a study recently published in the scientific journal Neurology indicate that to prevent stroke in young adults, it would be enough to reduce alcohol consumption in adolescents, a growing phenomenon all over the world, from Korea to Italy. In 2020, 20.6 per cent of Italians aged between 11 and 25 and 17.1 per cent of their female peers exceeded the limit of one alcoholic unit per day, equal to 12 grams of pure alcohol, which corresponds to a glass of 125 ml of medium strength wine. People drink more between 16 and 17 years (boys: 47 percent and girls: 34.5 percent).

Fashion in Italy

The epidemiological evidence produced by the National Alcohol Observatory of the Higher Institute of Health indicates that, from 11 years old, alcohol consumption by young people is increasingly characterized as “binge drinking”. Unfortunately also the occasional consumption at this age is very harmful because the enzymatic system does not yet know how to metabolize alcohol. Self before the age of 18 alcohol should be avoided, adult and elderly females should not exceed 1 unit of alcohol per day and adult males 2 units of alcohol. Not surprisingly, the study was conducted in Korea where, according to estimates, as many as 50.8 percent of males and 26.9 percent of females drink too much and binge drinkers, i.e. those who drink many drinks at once, are the 20 percent of the population.

The investigation

From the National Health Database the Seoul researchers selected one and a half million young people between the ages of 20 and 30 who had to declare their alcohol consumption. They were followed for 6 years and during that period 3,153 of them had a stroke. In the study it was considered heavy drinker who consumed at least 15 grams of alcohol per day, just over 1 alcohol unit, a limit already higher than the 14 grams in the United States.

The correlation

The relevant data of the survey was the punctuality correlation found between abuse in young people and an increase in haemorrhagic or ischemic strokes in the first years of adult lifeboth in terms of the amount of alcohol and the duration of the abuse. And that regardless of other factors that contribute to stroke, such as high blood pressure, smoking or excess weight. Who had abused for at least 2 years had a increased risk by 20 percent

compared to those who did not drink, while in those who drank moderately (less than 15 grams) it increased by 19 percent. With 3 years of abuse the risk rose to 22 percent and with 4 to 23 percent.

Binge drinking

L’habit of getting drunk up to stunning, once more widespread in Northern European countries, is becoming increasingly popular, especially among young people even in our country. Indicates the intake of large quantities of alcohol in a short period of time. In Italy it is defined binge drinking il consumption of more than 6 glasses of alcoholic beverages (one glass is equivalent to 12 grams of pure alcohol).

The problem of quantity (especially for women)

«The problem of alcohol must be tackled differently from that of smoking – comments Professor Mauro Silvestrini of the Polytechnic University of the Marche and President of the Italian Stroke Association -. If both are a risk factor for stroke, from smoking it is necessary to stay away in absolute terms, while for alcohol it is a problem to be faced at least in terms of quantity. As far as this Korean study is concerned, it must be said in any case that it is difficult to take the data and superimpose them as they are on the Italian reality, because they are in any case dealing with two different socio-cultural contexts». The quantity problem arises especially for women whose metabolism is different from that of man and this means that they suffer more from the effects of alcohol, a bit like adolescents.

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