Lifestyle factors seemed to have an impact on people's risk of stroke. The researchers found that two of the biggest risk factors for both men and women are alcohol consumption and smoking. In fact, for men, consuming about three alcoholic drinks within the past 24 hours quadruples the risk of stroke. Having more than 10 drinks in 24 hours increases the risk of a stroke eight-fold. For women, it increases the risk by five times.
Smoking doubles the risk of stroke for men and triples it for women.
Other big risk factors for men include heart disease, high blood pressure, a history of migraines and diabetes. An additional risk factor for women is the use of birth control pills containing estrogen. Although a lot of the things that can lead to stroke aren't things you can control, doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center say it makes sense to control the ones you can. Don't smoke and don't drink to excess. If you have a family history of stroke or have other stroke risk factors, talk to your doctor about what else you can do.