Study: Risk of stroke goes up with 3 or more cocktails a day

Put down that glass: A new study released Thursday says that people in their 50s and 60s who drink more than two alcoholic beverages every day have a 34 percent higher risk of stroke compared to those who don't drink as much.

The study, published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke, also states that consuming more than two drinks daily can increase a middle-aged person's risk of stroke more than usual traits like high blood pressure and diabetes, NBC News reports. Researchers tracked about 11,000 sets of Swedish twins for 43 years, and came to their conclusion after looking at the lifestyle choices and health of the participants.

Dr. Shazam Hussain with the Cleveland Clinic's stroke program was not part of the study, but said along with high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity, alcohol consumption might become another stroke risk factor to look at. "We are seeing more and more people who are having strokes at younger ages and we don't necessarily appreciate how much alcohol use may be contributing to that," he told NBC News. "We know that the more you drink, the worse off you're going to be. Whether no alcohol versus a little bit of alcohol is any different, that's tough to say."

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