[Alcohol consumption and incidence of ischemic stroke in male Chinese]

To assess the relationship between incidence of ischemic stroke and alcohol consumption.

The information on alcohol consumption and other cardiovascular risk factors such as SBP, DBP, TC was collected among 10 populations in northern and southern parts of China according to the international standardized methods. A total number of 30 560 men and women aged 35 - 59 were enrolled and followed up for an average of 15.2 years. Complete data on 12,352 men was analyzed.

The risk on ischemic stroke incidence showed a graded association. Compared with nondrinkers, the relative risks of incidence of ischemic stroke for those who drank alcohol less then 15 gram per day, 15-30 gram per day, 30-60 gram per day, above 60 gram per day were 0.86 (95% confidence interval 0.57-1.27), 1.20 (0.87-1.65), 1.26 (0.86-1.84) and 1.96 (1.30-2.93), respectively.

Our study revealed that in male Chinese, heavy alcohol intake significantly increased the risk while mild alcohol drinking did not increase the risk of ischemic stroke.