title: Alcohol consumption and risk of stroke in women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption has been consistently associated with lower risk of heart disease, but data for stroke are less certain. A lower risk of stroke with light-to-moderate alcohol intake has been suggested, but the dose response among women remains uncertain and the data in this subgroup have been sparse.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 83 578 female participants of the Nurses' Health Study who were free of diagnosed cardiovascular disease and cancer at baseline were followed-up from 1980 to 2006. Data on self-reported alcohol consumption were assessed at baseline and updated approximately every 4 years, whereas stroke and potential confounder data were updated at baseline and biennially. Strokes were classified according to the National Survey of Stroke criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed 2171 incident strokes over 1 695 324 person-years. In multivariable adjusted analyses, compared to abstainers, the relative risks of stroke were 0.83 (95% CI, 0.75-0.92) for <5 g/d, 0.79 (95% CI, 0.70-0.90) for 5 to 14.9 g/d, 0.87 (0.72-1.05) for 15 to 29.9 g/d, and 1.06 (95% CI, 0.86-1.30) for 30 to 45 g/d. Results were similar for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Light-to-moderate alcohol consumption was associated with a lower risk of total stroke. In this population of women with modest alcohol consumption, an elevated risk of total stroke related to alcohol was not observed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Preventive Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
authors.forename: Monik
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jimenez
authors.forename: Stephanie E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Chiuve
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Glynn
authors.forename: Meir J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Stampfer
authors.forename: Carlos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Camargo
authors.forename: Walter C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Willett
authors.forename: Joann E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Manson
authors.forename: Kathryn M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Rexrode
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D020300:Intracranial Hemorrhages / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009726:Nurses; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*