Alcohol Use In Young Adults Is Associated With Early Aging Of Blood Vessels: Study
Drinking alcohol as a young adult speeds up arterial stiffening. This condition often leads to cardiovascular disease. The European Society of Cardiology released a new study highlighting this connection.
“We saw evidence of a graded increase with heavier usage,” said Hugo Walford. He authored the study. “The more you drink, the greater the increase in arterial stiffness.”
Walford noted that other heart disease factors did not explain the relationship. This suggests that risky behavior during this period directly affects vascular health.
Understanding Arterial Stiffness
Arteries naturally stiffen and lose elasticity as people age. Stiffer arteries increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. However, certain behaviors accelerate this process. For example, previous research links smoking and alcohol to stiffer arteries in teenagers.
Young adulthood is a critical time for starting heavy smoking and drinking habits. Therefore, this study focused on arterial stiffness changes between ages 17 and 24. It examined how these habits relate to vascular health.
The Study Methodology
The study included 1,655 participants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents And Children (ALSPAC). Researchers measured alcohol consumption and smoking at ages 17 and 24. They then combined the results from both time points.
The team classified alcohol use as never, medium, or high. Medium meant four drinks or less on a typical day. High meant more than five drinks. They categorized smoking as never, past, medium, or high. Medium smokers used less than ten cigarettes daily. High smokers used ten or more.
Researchers assessed arterial stiffness using a non-invasive technique. They measured carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity. This method predicts future cardiovascular disease effectively, especially in young people.
Analyzing the Results
The researchers looked for associations between habits and stiffness changes. They adjusted the analyses for age, sex, and socioeconomic status. They also included measures taken at age 24. These included body mass index, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol. They also checked blood glucose and C-reactive protein.
Most participants drank alcohol between ages 17 and 24. The data classified 7 percent as “never,” 52 percent as “medium,” and 41 percent as “high.” For smoking, 37 percent fell into “never” and 35 percent into “past.” Only 23 percent were “medium” smokers, and 5 percent were “high.”
Arterial stiffness increased by an average of 10.3 percent from age 17 to 24. Women experienced a slightly greater increase than men. Stiffness rose with each point increase in the average alcohol score. However, the average smoking score did not show a graded increase in stiffness.
Implications for Long-Term Health
High-intensity smokers did show a larger increase in stiffness than non-smokers. However, this only reached statistical significance in women. Ex-smokers and non-smokers showed similar changes in arterial stiffness.
“The results suggest that arterial damage occurs in young drinkers and young women who smoke heavily,” said Walford. “Non-smokers and ex-smokers had similar vascular health. This indicates that quitting can restore health at this young age.”
Walford noted that students often view binge drinking as a normal experience. He added that e-cigarette use is rising while smoking prevalence falls. Young people may believe that drinking and smoking cause no long-term damage.
“These results indicate that these behaviors could put young people on a dangerous path,” Walford concluded. “Early arterial stiffening may eventually lead to heart disease and stroke.”
(With inputs from ANI)
Edited by Ojaswin Kathuria and Nikita Nikhil
The post Alcohol Use In Young Adults Is Associated With Early Aging Of Blood Vessels: Study appeared first on Zenger News.
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