A study conducted by the Toulouse University Hospital, and published in the British Medical Journal, into the link between drinking habits and health have concluded that although their French participants drank more regularly than the Irish, it was the Irish binge drinking habit that resulted in higher levels of poor heart health.
The study compared the men’s choice of drinks, amount of drinks and regularity of drinking as well as their standard of overall health over a ten year period.
The findings were that even if the French and Irish men drank the same amounts, over time it was the regularity and type of alcohol that had the most effect on the results.
The Irish men tended to drink over the recommended amounts in single ‘sessions’, what is classified as Binge Drinking, where their French counterparts tended to drink smaller amounts, more regularly.
The research found that three-quarters of the French men tended to drink every day compared to 12% of the Irish, but although drinking more often they drank considerably less each time.
Only 0.5% of the French admitted to drinking 5 small wines, or 3 pints of beer/lager in one sitting.
In Ireland, that number shoots to 9%. With the numbers involved, that means that although 7,500 French men admitted drinking daily compared to the Irish 1,200, only 50 French men could be considered ‘binge drinkers’ compared to 900 Irish.
The 10 years follow up found that the binge drinking men had double the risk of heart attacks or death from heart disease than the regular drinkers.
A representative of the British Heart Foundation, senior cardiac nurse Amy Thompson, has stated:
“This reinforces what we already know, that drinking high levels of alcohol can be harmful to your heart.” The British Medical Journal The British Heart Foundation.
