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Early Binge Drinking Tied
to Later Health Problems
Young teens who begin a habit of binge drinking face an increased
risk of poor health as young adults, study findings suggest.
Researchers found that teenagers
who began binge drinking at age 13 and kept it up throughout adolescence
were nearly four times more likely than their peers who didn't
binge to be overweight or have high blood pressure at age 24.
The findings paint a picture of
the longer-term consequences of chronic heavy drinking at a tender
age, according to the study authors. While the immediate effects
of binge drinking -- including impaired mental functioning, sleep
disturbances and fatigue -- are well-known, the long-range health
impact has been less clear, lead author Dr. Sabrina Oesterle stated.
She and her colleagues at the University
of Washington in Seattle report their findings in the Journal
of Studies on Alcohol.
The study followed 808 Seattle school
students who detailed their drinking, smoking and drug habits;
students were interviewed yearly between the ages of 13 and 16,
then again at ages 18, 21 and 24. At age 24, the men and women
also had their blood pressure checked and reported on whether
they'd had health conditions such as asthma, arthritis and high
cholesterol in the past year.
From the earlier interviews, Oesterle
and her colleagues identified four patterns of binge-drinking
behavior, a binge being defined as having five or more drinks
in a row.
Most students (70 percent) never
or rarely went on a drinking binge during adolescence.
An additional one-quarter said they
started binge drinking after the age of 16. By the time they were
24, these men and women were more likely to drink and drive or
ride with a drunk driver, and they had somewhat higher rates of
illness in the prior year.
Three percent of students started
binge drinking when they were 13 years old and continued to do
so throughout adolescence. It was these drinkers who were in the
poorest health at age 24, the researchers found. And the effects
were seen regardless of their current drinking habits.
"So no matter what you're doing
now," Oesterle said, "a history of binge drinking can still have
health effects."
A third group of binge drinkers
in the study were what the researchers dubbed "escalators." These
students -- four percent of the study group -- began binge drinking
around age 15 and soon did it more and more, until they were binging
roughly 10 times per month by age 18.
Surprisingly, these drinkers did
not show significant health effects as young adults, although
they were more likely than their peers who rarely binged to be
overweight or obese.
It's possible, Oesterle said, that
the health consequences of this type of drinking will emerge later.
She noted that the answer to that question may come when she and
her colleagues assess the same study group at age 30.
SOURCE: Journal of Studies on Alcohol,
March 2004
Reference
Source 89
July 15, 2004
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