Hypertension and Binge Drinking Don’t Mix

Hypertension places a person at risk for a stroke or a heart attack. When this condition is combined with binge drinking, the individual’s risk of dying from that stroke or heart attack is greatly increased.

 

This finding was shared in a recent report in My Fox Detroit as part of a study conducted by South Korean researchers. The study determined that for men with blood pressure at a minimum of 168/100, the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was four times higher than non-drinkers if they had consumed six drinks on one occasion.

 

Consuming as many as 12 drinks on one occasion raised their risk of dying from stroke or heart attack up to 12-fold. As a result, researchers suggest that the pattern of drinking matters more than the total volume of alcohol per week when examining the risk of stroke mortality.

 

Dr. Heechoul Ohrr, a professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul, and lead researcher on this study, suggests that it is especially important for those with high blood pressure to avoid having 12 drinks or more on one occasion.

 

This warning could easily be extended out to anyone with hypertension who may also have a tendency to want to engage in binge drinking. These activities significantly increase the likelihood of death due to pre-existing conditions. As a result, anyone with hypertension would be better off and assumable much safer if they simple avoided alcohol altogether.