Alcohol 'only protects non-smokers against stroke' A new The cigarette cancels out the protective effect of alcohol
The findings are being presented at a meeting of the American Academy of Neurology in Toronto.

A new research suggests sensible drinking can substantially reduce your risk of a stroke, but only if you don't smoke a cigarette at the same time,

A study of over 20,000 people in the UK found non-smokers who drank moderate amounts were nearly 40% less likely to have a stroke than non-drinkers.
But once cigarettes were added, this protective effect vanished.

The study, led by Cambridge University, looked at 22,254 people over 12 years. And there were nearly 900 strokes.

People who stayed within moderate drinking guidelines - one or two small glasses of wine a day for a woman and slightly more for a man - saw a 37% decrease in their risk of stroke.

according to lead researcher Yangmei Li these findings could have public health implications in that they appear to have a clearer understand of the dangers of combing smoking and moderate drinking on overall stroke risk,"

The links between smoking and stroke are clear - 10% of stroke deaths and a quarter of all strokes are linked to smoking

And alcohol does thin the blood, so can prevent clots forming.
Smoking, however, causes the arteries to fur up, making the blood more likely to clot. This increases the risk of a stroke.

Joe Korner of The Stroke Association says that"The links between smoking and stroke are clear - 10% of stroke deaths and a quarter of all strokes are linked to smoking. So giving up smoking is a vital step in reducing a risk of stroke,"

But every body know large quantities of alcohol are known to increase the chance of a stroke by raising blood pressure, a key risk