Drinking Pattern may be a Metabolic Syndrome Factor
Reported November 16, 2004
(Ivanhoe Newswire)–The more you drink alcohol over time, the more you increase your risk of developing metabolic syndrome. According to a new study, starting a heavy drinking pattern early in life also seems to add extra risk.
Investigators say its healthier to drink smaller amounts of alcohol per day than to drink more alcohol on fewer days. Lead author Amy Fan, M.D., Ph.D., from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, explains, The drinking pattern of one drink per day is much healthier than seven drinks on a weekend.
In their analysis of more than 2,000 people, researchers found drinkers in the highest category of intensity have a 60-percent greater risk of developing metabolic syndrome than those in the lowest category. Those at highest risk were females who consumed an average of four drinks per drinking day and males who consumed an average of six drinks per drinking day.
Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of cardiovascular disease risk factors, which include high blood pressure, impaired sugar levels and excess abdominal fat. A diagnosis of the condition is made if you have three out of five of these risk factors. Having metabolic syndrome increases the risk for cardiovascular disease.
SOURCE: American Heart Associations Scientific Sessions 2004, New Orleans, Nov. 7-10, 2004