Joan Westlake HealthKey.com contributor

February 23, 2010
In the no-vices and less-fun world of stroke prevention, there's some good news for the guys. A daily trip to the wine bar (smoke-free one, of course) for a couple of drinks reduces your risk of suffering a bout of blood being cut off to the brain. In fact, your chance of stroke will be even less than your buddy who is a teetotaler. Run instead of ride to the bar and, as you age, you'll be even less likely to be a stroke victim. Do these strategies work for women? Not so much.

The quintessential study for booze and stroke is "Alcohol and Risk for Ischemic Stroke in Men: The Role of Drinking Patterns and Usual Beverage," [Annals of Internal Medicine (volume 142, pages 11-19]. Nearly 40,000 men were studied for 12 years. All the men were participants in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, a project begun in the mid-80s to evaluate the role of nutritional factors in men's health.

Moderate drinking appears to have a protective effect. That would be one or two drinks three to four days a week. These men were nearly one third less likely to have a stroke than the guys who drank no alcohol at all. Red wine seemed to be more protective than beer or other liquor. Be warned! Consuming three or more drinks per day has the reverse effect - the risk is increased.

Subsequent research has shown a reduction in stroke for women drinking red wine, but in lower amounts - a glass every few days. Scientists at Georgetown University Medical Center have identified substances in dark red grapes that appear to inhibit the development of stroke-linked clots. In fact, a study at Johns Hopkins found that the resveratrol found in red grapes helps shield nerve cells from stroke damage.

Exercise such as running, swimming or tennis has a stroke-reducing effect on senior men, but not women. A study of more than 3,000 men and women, published in the journal Neurology November 2009, observed 3articipants (average age 69) over nine years. During that time, the men who reported doing regular, moderate-to-intense exercise were 67 percent less likely to have a stroke than those who did not exercise.

The American Stroke Association recommends a combination of a "healthy" diet and regular exercise plus a reduction in stroke-related behavior such as smoking and overindulgence in alcohol and food. Consuming a plate of artery-clogging chicken wings with your glass of wine is pretty much cancelling out the benefits of the red grapes. Stroke prevention is a many-faceted effort. And, you can drink to that!