Alcohol use and types and ischaemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis

A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to examine the relationship between alcohol consumption patterns and the risk of ischaemic stroke. Research databases were searched to find articles assessing the impact of alcohol drinking behaviour on stroke risk. The total number of participants included was 21,293,471 from 125 studies.
The model that examined the relationship between light alcohol consumption and the risk of ischaemic stroke showed no association [relative risk (RR) =0.97, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.89-1.05]. Moderate alcohol consumption was linked to a significant decrease in ischaemic stroke risk (RR=0.87; 95% CI 0.83-0.92), while heavy alcohol consumption was associated with a significant increase in risk (RR=1.31; 95% CI 1.19-1.44). Sub-group analysis among males showed results similar to the primary analysis, whereas among females, only moderate alcohol intake was significantly associated with a lower risk of ischaemic stroke (RR=0.50; 95% CI 0.33-0.75). Moderate and heavy wine consumption was linked to a notable reduction in ischaemic stroke risk (RR=0.61; 95% CI 0.45-0.84, RR=0.77; 95% CI 0.63-0.93)
The analysis provided strong and robust evidence that there was a significant association between moderate and heavy alcohol use and the risk of ischaemic stroke. However, this association varied across several variables, including the type of alcohol, with the effect being more protective among people who consume wine.
Source: Toubasi AA, & Al-Sayegh TN. (2025) Alcohol use and types and ischemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis. European Neurology, 1-20.