Binge Drinking, High Blood Pressure and Death

Here is an interesting article from health.com about binge drinking and hypertension.  A study published in the journal Stroke of 6100 South Koreans age 55 and up were studied for two decades demonstrated that the risk of death from a heart attack or stroke was double for those with high blood pressure who consumed 6 drinks in one sitting.  For those who had up to 12 drinks in one sitting or more, the risk was five-fold.  Not surprisingly each of these risks increased as hypertension became more severe.

Many of my hypertensive patients are surprised when I explain to them that alcohol consumption can raise blood pressure.  It is the rare patient who has only one glass of wine per night.  But for those who drink 2-3 or more units of alcohol per night, quitting or cutting back can significantly lower blood pressure, decrease calorie consumption – aiding weight loss, and reduce the severity of sleep apnea.  The results can be quite dramatic.  What this study shows, though, is that even people who do not drink on a daily basis still are at risk for alcohol related health complications.  It might not be easy to convince college students – a notorious binge drinking population - of this, but adults should know of the potential harms of these routine behaviors if further studies confirm these findings.

To read the full article from Health.com, click here.

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