A study recently found that the risk of developing heart disease was 2 times higher in binge drinkers than those who spread out their drinks over the week. 9700 men from France and Ireland took part in the study and were followed for 10 years. Binge drinking was defined as 4-5 drinks over a short period of time (e.g. in 1 day). The risk of developing heart problems such as heart attacks or angina (chest pain because the heart does not receive enough oxygen) was two times higher in binge drinkers. It is thought that irregular drinking may lead to dangerous changes in the heart's rhythm and may also increase in the amount of low density lipoprotein (LDL cholesterol; commonly known as "bad cholesterol") in the blood. Chronic drinking is also known to cause liver damage.
Since this study was only conducted on men and was done on the European population, more research is required to determine if these findings affect Canadians (and women). However, this doesn't mean that just because you're a woman or if you're not European, that you should go out and have 5 drinks in a row! It is known that excess alcohol intake is a risk factor for heart disease. No-one is telling you to stop drinking! But when you're reaching for drink #3 or #4, maybe just pause for a moment and consider not having that extra drink? It couldn't hurt to try it out!
Information Source:
http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/11/23/binge-drinking-heart.html
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