Binge drinking in young adults can cause issues such as stroke and heart risk, according to Science Daily. Mariann Piano, senior associate dean of research at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing. Her research found that young adults who frequently binge drink are more likely to have specific cardiovascular risk factors such as higher blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar at a younger age than non-binge drinkers.
In a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the research team found that binge drinking by young men was associated with higher systolic blood pressure (the force on blood vessels when the heart beats) and that frequent binge drinking had additional effects on cholesterol, both factors also contributing to cardiovascular disease. Female binge drinkers had higher blood glucose levels than abstainers.
While reporting her findings, Piano said that young adults need to know that repeated binge drinking may have consequences beyond the immediate, that risk extends beyond simply “poor school performance and increased risk for accidental injury,” she said.
Current evidence suggests that the development of high blood pressure before age 45 is associated with significantly higher risks of cardiovascular death later in life. The study also found differences in how binge drinking affected young men and women. Young men who reported that they repeatedly binge drink had higher systolic blood pressure and total cholesterol while young women who repeatedly binge drink had higher blood sugar levels compared to non-binge drinkers.
Binge drinking rates are at an all-time high, Piano said. As many as one in five college-age students reports three or more binge drinking episodes per 2 weeks.