What is Atherosclerosis?
According to Medical News Today, Atherosclerosis is a condition where the arteries become narrowed and hardened due to an excessive build up of plaque around the artery wall. The disease disrupts the flow of blood around the body, posing serious cardiovascular complications. A Finnish study found that binge drinking was associated with atherosclerosis in middle aged men. Excessive use of alcohol can cause high blood pressure and raised blood cholesterol that can also increase the risk of Atherosclerosis. There’s also a high risk for stroke, especially amongst older women who binge drink.
Science Daily Reports that, “Excessive Alcohol Consumption Increase Progression of Atherosclerosis, Risk of Stroke”.
A Finnish population-based study showed that binge drinking was associated with increased atherosclerotic progression in an 11-year follow-up of middle-aged men. The progression of atherosclerosis was increased among men who consumed 6 drinks or more on one occasion. In addition, the risk of stroke increased among men who had at least one hangover per year. Hangovers increased the risk of stroke independent of the total amount of alcohol consumed.. Hypertension and overweight, in the presence of alcohol consumption, further increased the risk of stroke. Drinking large quantities of alcohol more than twice a week increased the risk of stroke mortality in men.
The prospective follow-up study was part of the FinDrink Study. The subjects were a population-based sample of more than 2,600 men living in eastern Finland and participating in the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study (KIHD). The follow-up time was between 11 to 20 years. Alcohol consumption was assessed using the Nordic alcohol consumption inventory. Incident strokes were ascertained through the FINMONICA stroke register, which is the Finnish part of the WHO MONICA (Multinational Monitoring of Trends and determinants in Cardiovascular Diseases), and from the Finnish national hospital discharge register and death certificate registers.
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