Binge drinking raises death risk in men with high blood pressure

According to a South Korean study reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, if you have high blood pressure, binge drinking may dramatically raise your risk of stroke or heart-related death.

Compared to non-drinkers with normal blood pressure, researchers found that the risk of cardiovascular death in men with blood pressure of at least 168 /100 millimeters of mercury was:
- three times higher overall,
- four times higher if they were binge drinkers, consuming six or more drinks on one occasion, and
- twelve times higher if they were heavy binge drinkers, consuming 12 or more drinks on one occasion
Hypertension and binge drinking each contribute to cardiovascular disease but have been rarely studied together, researchers said. These findings need to be confirmed in other studies and it’s unclear whether the results can be generalized to other populations.

However, it is unclear whether the results can be generalized to other populations.