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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Approximately 40% of adults in the US drink alcohol at levels that can risk their health. Researchers from Boston University School of Public Health found the biggest predictors of moving to an at-risk drinking pattern was being young, male, white, not married, becoming divorced or separated, being in the military, smoking, drug use, or having an alcohol use disorder. They collected information from over 34,000 people and defined “at-risk” use of alcohol as 14 or more drinks a week or more than 4 drinks on one occasion for men and 7 drinks a week or more than 3 drinks on one occasion for women.
When they followed people over time they found that most continued to drink at at-risk levels unless some intervention occurred. Interestingly, between the two rounds of the survey, researchers found that those who moved to the low-risk category of alcohol use were more likely to be black or Hispanic or had children between the two assessments. Others who moved to the low-risk category had gotten treatment for alcohol abuse. Clearly, many young adults in the US have not gotten the message that drinking too much alcohol will have negative consequences to their health.
Another study looked at the drinking and eating habits of midwestern college students. It was one of the first times that researchers looked at what was eaten during and after a night of drinking. Needless to say, fresh fruit and green vegetables where not on the menu. Pizza, tacos, and other late-night options were the most frequent choices of students after the bars closed. Some college newspapers even sported ads for all-night eating options when you had the ‘drunchies.” One of the lead researchers, Jessica Kruger, PhD, from the University of Buffalo defined the drunchies as the body’s response to alcohol where blood sugar can rise and fall, stimulating the brain to feel hungry. Even at breakfast, the morning following a drinking bout, students opted for pizza and tacos as so-called hangover cures. Students wrongly believe that these foods “soak up” alcohol.
With the obesity epidemic spiraling out of control, we have overlooked the potential of alcohol plus food adding to the problem. If on a typical Saturday night, a bunch of college friends binge drink 5 beers each, at 150 calories per beer, this adds up to 750 calories. Add 20 pretzel twists noshed over the course of the night (460 calories) and a cheeseburger plus fries (590 calories) eaten to quell the drunchies on the way home, the students have eaten 1800 calories while getting little or no exercise.
Too much alcohol too often, coupled with poor food choices may put today’s young adults at increased harm from the damaging effects of this unhealthy combination. Until recently, very little was known about the effects of binge drinking on heart disease risk for young adults, aged 18 to 30 and those in middle adulthood, aged 31 to 45.
A recent study in the Journal of the American Heart Association signaled some alarming trends for young binge drinkers. A most interesting finding was that over the past decade more young women are binge drinking, though the rate for men has remained unchanged. Men who regularly binge drink have high blood pressures and higher cholesterol levels, both predictors of future heart disease. Even one episode of binge drinking increased blood pressure. For young women, binge drinking did not have the same effect on blood pressure or cholesterol but they did have higher blood sugar levels. Exactly what this means for future health is yet to be seen. The researchers speculated that binge drinking was increasing the risk of heart disease for young men and there may be a need for early intervention to understand the connection between their future health and current alcohol use. For women, the case is less clear cut. However, more women are drinking too much at an earlier age and in addition to consuming too many calories and having higher blood sugar levels at a younger age, other health issues may be looming.
© NRH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of 30 books. Available as eBooks from iTunes and Kindle/Amazon:
Diabetes Counter – the most up-to-date information on managing diabetes
Calorie Counter – a weight loss guide that won’t let you down
Protein Counter – put the latest protein recommendations to work for you
Healthy Wholefoods Counter – planet-friendly eating made easy
Complete Food Counter – food counts and nutrition information at your fingertips
Fat and Cholesterol Counter – newest approach to heart-healthy eating
Available in print from Gallery Books:
Most Complete Food Counter, 3rd Ed.
Your Complete Food Counter App: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/your-complete-food-counter/id444558777?mt=8
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to: www.TheNutritionExperts.com.