Binge Drinking Confounds Any Health Benefits of Drinking, Study Says

Alcohol consumption may improve coronary health, some studies say, but new research suggests that even the occasional binge-drinking episode can foil any such health benefits, Reuters reported Feb. 18.

A review of 14 previously published studies finds that occasional binge drinkers — those who consumed five or more drinks at a sitting at least 12 times per year, but were not daily heavy drinkers — were 45 percent more likely to develop coronary heart disease than those who only drank in moderation (one or two drinks daily).

The study by Michael Roerecke and Jurgen Rehm of the Center for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.