Study: One alcoholic drink per day may increase stroke risk

(Photo by Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Belvedere Vodka)

More evidence that so-called moderate drinking may have more health risks than previously thought. 

A new study published in 'The Lancet' says even light to moderate drinking can increase your risk of a stroke.   

According to the study, just one alcoholic drink can raise blood pressure. One to two drinks a day can increase the risk of a stroke by ten to fifteen percent.

And four drinks a day increases the risk of having a stroke by thirty-five percent.

The researchers from Peking University, The Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and The University of Oxford, say they discovered the impact of alcohol on stroke by following 500,000 Chinese people for a 10 year period.

One drink was measured as either a small glass of wine, a bottle of beer or a single serving of spirits.

'There are no protective effects of moderate alcohol intake against stroke. Even moderate alcohol consumption increases the chances of having a stroke,” said study co-author Zhengming Chen from the Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford in a press release.'