Researchers from UMass Medical School and the University of Montreal Research Centre have demonstrated that frequent binge drinking in your 20s may have an effect on blood pressure, which may increase risk of developing hypertension.
In a study published today in the Journal of Adolescent Health, a research team lead by Jennifer O’Loughlin, MSc, PhD, a professor at the University of Montreal, and Robert J. Wellman, PhD, professor of family medicine & community health at UMMS, found that more than one in four young adults who binge drink meet the criterion for pre-hypertension.
“This is worrisome because this condition can progress to hypertension, which in turn can cause heart disease and premature death,” said Dr. O’Loughlin.
Dr. Wellman suggests that all physicians working with young adults need to talk with them about drinking and that public health campaigns may need to mention binge drinking as a risk for hypertension.
“There’s a great acceptance publically that this is just a phase young adults go through, that it is normal and probably not harmful. What our data suggest is that binge drinking is potentially harmful,” Wellman said.
Binge drinking is defined as consuming five or more alcoholic beverages in less than two hours, according to the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Association. According to previous studies, binge drinking is prevalent in the United States and Canada, where four in 10 young adults aged 18 to 24 said they frequently binge drink.
In the study, researchers collected data on alcohol consumption from and measured the systolic blood pressure of 756 participants at age 20 and again at age 24.
“We found that the blood pressure of young adults age 20 to 24 who binge drink was 2 to 4 millimeters of mercury higher than non-binge drinkers,” O’Loughlin said.
The study also found that 85 percent of young adults who drink at age 20 maintain this behavior at age 24. Wellman said researchers will continue their research on whether the trend toward high blood pressure will continue into the participants’ 30s.
