Hard partying in your 20s raises risk of heart problems later in life
Hard partying in your 20s raises your risk of heart problems later in life by NINE times, research suggests
- Study of more than million people fired warning of the dangers of hard partying
- Young adults up to nine times more likely to develop premature heart disease
- Found higher number of substances used recreationally the greater the risk
They died in their 20s and 30s after drug and alcohol abuse.
Now a major study of more than a million people has fired another warning shot over the dangers of hard partying.
It shows that young adults are up to nine times more likely to develop premature heart disease if they regularly take drugs, smoke and drink.
A major study of more than a million people has fired another warning shot over the dangers of hard partying. Picture: Stock
Experts looked at 1.1million people in the US, comparing their intake of alcohol, drugs and cigarettes with rates of heart attacks and strokes.
They found the higher the number of substances used recreationally, the greater the risk of premature heart disease.
The link was even more pronounced among women. A total of 143,319 people had the disease – when a heart attack, angina or stroke occurs before the age of 55 in men or 65 in women.
For those who regularly used four or more substances, the risk was nine times higher. The study found that cocaine users were almost two and a half times as likely to have premature heart disease while amphetamine users were nearly three times as likely.
The ‘live fast, die young’ lifestyle has taken a tragic toll on stars including Amy Winehouse (pictured), Jimi Hendrix and Marilyn Monroe
The figure for cannabis and other drugs was more than two and a half times. Smokers were nearly twice as likely to suffer from premature heart disease while the figure for drinkers was 50 per cent.
Lead author Dr Anthony Wayne Orr, from Louisiana State University in the US, said: ‘We are only young once, and we should do everything in our power to maintain that state as long as we can.
‘Studies suggest that one in five young adults misuse several substances and that these poly-substance users often start using at younger ages, and so have worse health over the long term.
‘These people need to be aware of the long-term consequences for their health beyond the risk of an overdose.’
Heart disease affects 7.6million people in the UK and causes more than one in four deaths.
Singer Miss Winehouse died aged 27 of alcohol poisoning in 2011.
US guitar legend Hendrix, also 27, died after a drug binge in 1970 while American actress Miss Monroe, 36, was killed by a barbiturate overdose in 1962.
The research was published in the journal Heart.
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