Binge-drink women at risk

Young women who enjoy the binge drinking 'ladette' culture run the risk of developing heart disease, researchers claimed yesterday.

A study of female civil servants found those who drank more than the recommended limit of 21 units of alcohol a week raised their risk of heart disease by 57 per cent.

One unit of alcohol is roughly equivalent to half a glass of wine, a pub measure of spirits or half a pint of beer.
The team from University College, London, said their study gave a snapshot of what could happen to a generation of binge-drinking women in the future.

Researchers Dr Annie Britton and Prof Michael Marmot said the best advice was to keep within the alcohol guidelines.

Dr Britton added: 'Previous studies have focused on risks run by middle-aged men but we are increasingly aware that alcohol consumption among women is a real health issue.'

They found death rates among those who drank two or more times a day were seven times higher than women who took one or two drinks a week.

The difference in men was smaller but, even so, those drinking more frequently were two-and-a-half times at risk.

However the study, published in the journal Addiction, found teetotallers had an 80 per cent greater risk of heart disease than those who had a couple of drinks a week. The result implied moderate drinking was beneficial.

'Small and often is probably the best method for drinking,' Dr Britton said.