INTAKE OF BEER, WINE, AND SPIRITS AND RISK OF STROKE - THE COPENHAGENCITY HEART-STUDY

Background and Purpose-Alcohol consumption has been associated with a protective effect on risk of ischemic stroke. There may, however, be d ifferences in the effect of beer, wine, and spirits due to properties other than ethanol, a topic that has gained only little attention in s troke research. Methods-Our analysis was a prospective cohort study of 13 329 eligible men and women, aged 45 to 84 years, participating in the Copenhagen City Heart Study. Information on alcohol habits and a n umber of socioeconomic and health-related factors was obtained at base line. During 16 years of follow-up, 833 first-ever strokes occurred. D ata were analyzed by means of multiple Poisson regression. Results-We found indications of a U-shaped relation between intake of alcohol and risk of stroke. In analyses adjusted for age, sex, and smoking, intak e of wine on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis was associated with a l ower risk of stroke compared with no wine intake (monthly: relative ri sk [RR], 0.83; 95% CT, 0.69 to 0.98; weekly: RR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.45 to 0.77; daily: RR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.46 to 1.00). This effect of wine int ake remained after complete adjustment for confounding variables (mont hly: RR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.70 to 1.02; weekly: RR, 0.66; 95% CI, 0.50 to 0.88; daily: RR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.45 to 1.02). There was no associatio n between intake of beer or spirits on risk of stroke. Conclusions-The differences in the effects of beer, wine, and spirits on the risk of stroke suggest that compounds in the wine in addition to ethanol are r esponsible for the protective effect on risk of stroke.