That cheeky glass of wine has some life saving benefits

Now before the bottle tops start to pop off and the drinks begin to flow research has shown that a few drinks per day can reduce the risk of a stroke, but any more than that could increase the risk.

This fine line has been discovered by in joint research from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and Cambridge University. They looked at 27 studies involving more than 20,000 people and determined that alcohol could help combat strokes by slowing down or stopping the formation of blood clots.

The study found that people that had one drink a day were 10-percent less likely to suffer a stroke, those that drink one to two drinks per day were 8-percent less likely.

Lead author of the paper, Susanna Larsson, says that the research has shown that the alcohol assists a protein in the body that fights off blood clots that this research isn’t to be used to excuse excessive drinking.

Talking to The Australian, Larsson said, “While this may explain the association between light to moderate alcohol consumption and lower ischemic stroke risk, the adverse effect of alcohol ­consumption on blood pressure — a major risk factor for stroke — may increase the risk of haemorrhagic stroke and outweigh any potential benefit.”

While a few drinks can lower the risk, if you have more than four a day you increase your risk up to 14-percent. So, while this is an excellent study to share if you want a glass with friends in the afternoon, it won’t work as well if you are opening your second bottle.

What do you think of the study? Do you think that one drink a day helps you? Did you have a family member that would swear by having a “port after tea”? Is it something that you continue to this day?