Study leader Lydia Bazzano of Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans examined the relationship between alcohol consumption and stroke in a large nationally representative sample of 64,338 Chinese men. At baseline, all of the men were over age 40 and free of stroke. Those who said they consumed more than 12 drinks per year were defined as drinkers.

After adjusting for factors such as age, body mass index and geographic variation, the researchers found that the risk of stroke was higher among those who drank more alcohol. Heavier drinking also correlated to higher risk of death by stroke.

At the top level of alcohol consumption -- at least 35 drinks per week -- risk of stroke incidence was 22 percent higher and risk of mortality was 30 percent higher than among non-drinkers, the study published in the Annals of Neurology found.