Heavy drinking in your 50s and 60s significantly increases the risk of stroke, even more so than traditional risk factors such as diabetes and high blood pressure, a new study has found.

Czech researchers followed the progress of over 11,500 twins in Sweden over a 43-year period. All of the participants were under the age of 60 at the beginning of the study. At the end of the study period, almost one in three had suffered a stroke.

The researchers compared the effects of ‘heavy drinking', which was defined as more than two alcoholic drinks per day, to ‘light drinking', which was considered less than half a drink every day. They found that overall, heavy drinkers had a 34% increased risk of suffering a stroke compared to light drinkers.

Furthermore, heavy drinkers in their 50s and 60s were more likely to suffer a stroke five years earlier than their light-drinking peers irrespective of other risk factors.

While previous studies have found a link between stroke and alcohol, this is the first study to highlight differences specifically related to age.

The researchers highlighted the fact that heavy drinkers had an even higher risk of stroke in the middle of their life when compared with known stroke risk factors such as high blood pressure.

"We now have a clearer picture about these risk factors, how they change with age and how the influence of drinking alcohol shifts as we get older," the researchers commented.

Meanwhile, the study found that among identical twins, those who suffered a stroke consumed more alcohol than their twins who did not suffer a stroke. This suggests that drinking alcohol in mid-life increases the risk of a stroke regardless of genetics or early lifestyle.

"For mid-aged adults, avoiding more than two drinks a day could be a way to prevent stroke in later productive age (about 60s)," the researchers added.

Details of these findings are published in the journal, Stroke.