Binge Drinking Increases Death Risk in Men With High Blood Pressure

DALLAS, Aug. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --  If you have high blood pressure, binge drinking may dramatically raise your risk of stroke or heart-related death, according to a South Korean study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

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Compared to non-drinkers with normal blood pressure, researchers found that the risk of cardiovascular death in men with blood pressure of at least 168 /100 millimeters of mercury was:

• three times higher overall,
• four times higher if they were binge drinkers, consuming six or more drinks on one occasion, and
• twelve times higher if they were heavy binge drinkers, consuming 12 or more drinks on one occasion.

The study followed more than 6,100 residents, 55 years and older, of an agricultural community in South Korea for almost 21 years.  

Overall, about 15 percent of men said they were moderate binge drinkers and about 3 percent said they were heavy binge drinkers.  However, because less than one percent of the women were reportedly binge drinkers, no conclusions could be made about the combined impact of high blood pressure and binge drinking in women, said Heechoul Ohrr, M.D., Ph.D., senior author of the study and professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea.

Hypertension and binge drinking each contribute to cardiovascular disease but have been rarely studied together, researchers said.  These findings need to be confirmed in other studies and it's unclear whether the results can be generalized to other populations.

The American Heart Association advises that if you drink alcohol, do so in moderation — no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. The association defines a drink as one 12-ounce beer, one 4-ounce glass of wine, 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits or one ounce of 100-proof spirits.

Co-authors are Jae Woong Sull, Ph.D.; Sang Wook Yi, M.D., Ph.D.; Chung Mo Nam, Ph.D.; and Kwisook Choi, Ph.D.  Author disclosures and funding information are on the manuscript.

Statements and conclusions of study authors published in American Heart Association scientific journals are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the association's policy or position.  The association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability.  The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events.  The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content.  Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available at www.americanheart.org/corporatefunding.

NR10 – 1109 (Stroke/Ohrr)

Editor's note: For more information on stroke, visit the American Stroke Association Web site: strokeassociation.org.

Additional media resources:

• Downloadable video interview clips on stroke prevention with Ralph Sacco, M.D., neurologist and president of the American Heart Association may be found here.

SOURCE American Heart Association