Drinking heavily in college may lead to heart disease later in life

American Heart Association meeting report
College-age students who drink heavily may increase their risk for future heart disease, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's 8th Annual Conference on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology.
In a small study, Minnesota researchers found that a group of college students who drank heavily had higher levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a blood marker for inflammation that can increase the risk for heart disease. Increased CRP placed heavy drinkers at moderate risk for cardiovascular disease in early adulthood. Moderate drinkers had the lowest CRP levels.
"These students may be setting themselves up for an increased risk for cardiovascular disease," said Elizabeth Donovan, lead researcher of the study and an undergraduate student at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn. "This highlights an additional reason to be concerned about heavy drinking in college-age individuals." While most studies of alcohol and CRP levels have focused on older people, this small study examined individuals in early adulthood.
"If high CRP levels are recognized at an early age, the person has a chance to make healthier lifestyle choices," Donovan said.
Twenty-five college-age individuals completed surveys that assessed factors that can affect CRP levels such as alcohol consumption patterns, medication use, smoking habits and recent weight loss. Researchers assigned the students to one of three groups:
non-drinkers, meaning they consumed one or less drinks one day a week;
moderate drinkers, who consumed two to five drinks of alcohol on a typical drinking day, one to two days a week; and
heavy drinkers, who consumed three or more drinks at least three or more days a week or consumed five or more drinks in one sitting at least two or more days a week.
One drink was equal to 12 ounces of beer, five ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of hard alcohol.
Students on oral contraceptives, hormone therapy, cholesterol-lowering therapy or who had a significant recent weight loss were excluded from the study.
The average CRP for students in the study was 0.9 milligrams per liter (mg/L), placing the group as a whole at low risk. CRP levels less than 1 mg/L are associated with low risk for cardiovascular disease. CRP levels between 1 and 3 mg/L are associated with moderate risk and CRP levels above 3 mg/L are associated with high risk for future cardiovascular disease.