Binge drinking in young adults in “desperate” need of reform, researchers urge

23 Aug 2021 --- Drinking alcohol in early adolescence could be contributing to the premature tightening of blood vessels – a precursor to cardiovascular disease (CVD). This is according to the results of a study funded by the British Heart Foundation, whose authors say change is “desperately warranted” to reduce disease risk.

The study’s lead author, Hugo Walford of University College London, UK, tells NutritionInsight the findings should be a warning to the nutrition industry. 

“The key step for the nutrition industry is communication and raising awareness of the risks associated with alcohol and smoking, directly targeted at young people as there is more progress to be made.”

“Young people need to come to terms with the health implications of their addictive and harmful habits, binge drinking in particular, and work to reduce their chance of developing CVD and other comorbidities.”

The results were presented recently at the European Society of Cardiology 2021. 

Walford says a leading problem in adolescent drinking is down to public perception.Previous research 
Walford says the findings were unsurprising; a previous study showed the cross-sectional effects of alcohol and smoking on vascular health at age 17. This research was a continuation of that work.

The study used 1,655 participants of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents And Children (ALSPAC) aged 17 to 24 years. Alcohol and smoking were measured at ages 17 and 24, and results at the two-time points were combined. 

Alcohol use was classified as never, medium (four drinks or less on a typical day of drinking), and high (more than five drinks on a typical drinking day). Smoking was categorized as never, past, medium (less than ten cigarettes a day), and high (ten or more cigarettes daily).

The results show 52 percent of participants drank medium quantities of alcohol during this period of their lives, and 41 percent consumed high levels. A further 23 percent said they smoked medium amounts of cigarettes. 

Arterial stiffness 
Arterial stiffness was assessed at ages 17 and 24 using a carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity technique, an independent predictor of future CVD, especially in young people.

Arterial stiffness increased by an average of 10.3 percent from age 17 to 24, with a slightly greater increase observed in women than in men. It also increased with each point rise in the average alcohol score.

No graded increase was seen with the average smoking score. While high-intensity smokers had a numerically more significant increase in arterial stiffness than never smokers, this only reached statistical significance in women. Changes in arterial stiffness between ages 17 and 24 did not differ between ex-smokers and never smokers.

A warning to youth and government 
Walford says a leading problem in adolescent drinking is down to public perception. 

“Heavy episodic drinking is justified by the belief that it is temporary and associated with the freedom of young adulthood. However, studies have shown binge drinking in youth to be strongly associated with the development of alcohol-use disorders.”

He continues that the increased CVD risk is accompanied by irreversible neurodegenerative damage and co-occurs with many psychiatric disorders. 

“Changes in attitude to alcohol use in young adulthood are desperately warranted, and this must be instigated by public health policies to regulate alcohol pricing and availability and increase awareness of its health implications from a young age.”

“CVD remains the leading cause of death worldwide, and without more drastic measures to reduce and control modifiable risk factors, young people will embark on a life-course trajectory leading to early vascular aging, hypertension, CVD and death,” Walford concludes.

By Louis Gore-Langton