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By Rebekah Addy, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent
ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Something many consider to be a right of passage, may lead to heart problems.
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Minnesota researchers found college students are were heavy drinkers may be at an increased risk for heart disease. Researchers found increased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in them, which is a blood marker for inflammation, that can lead to an elevated risk for heart disease.
"Students need to realize there may be negative effects of the way they drink in college later in life," lead researcher Elizabeth Donovan, an undergraduate student at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minnesota told Ivanhoe. "If CRP levels during adulthood are predictive of levels 15 to 20 years later, and if CPR levels are predictive of cardiovascular disease, college students may be beginning this pattern, which is an additional concern."
Heavy drinkers were defined as students who consumed three or more drinks three or more days a week or consumed five drinks or more in one sitting at least two days a week. Moderate drinkers were defined as students who drank two to five drinks, one to two days a week. One drink was defined as 12 ounces of beer, 1.5 ounces of hard alcohol, or five ounces of wine.
Moderate drinkers had significantly lower CRP levels than the heavy drinkers, according to researchers. They add this group may be at an even lower risk for heart disease then non-drinkers because alcohol's anti-inflammatory properties.
The Centers for Disease Control recommends those 30 years of age and older who are at intermediate risk for cardiovascular disease be checked for CRP levels. Many clinics can administer the tests by a simple blood test.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Ivanhoe Interview with Elizabeth Donavan; Reported at the American Heart Association's 8th Annual Conference on Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, 2007
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