To address this, our study combined male patients with ALDH2*1/*2 and ALDH2*2/*2 genotypes into a single analysis group and, for the first time, provided supporting evidence that the interaction between this genetic predisposition and heavy alcohol consumption is associated with earlier onset of ischemic stroke (Tables 3 and 4, Figures 1 and 2). This evidence concerns the gene ALDH2 and ischemic stroke.