Smoking and alcohol consumption can damage arteries very early in life, according to a new study.
The arteries of teens who drink alcohol and smoke start to stiffen as early as the age of 17, according to a large study. Arterial stiffness indicates that the blood vessels are starting to be damaged, which is the bedrock of future heart and blood vessel problems. We are talking about heart attacks or strokes.
These results, published in L’European Heart Journal, have also shown that the combination of alcohol and tobacco consumption is even more damaging.
Arterial stiffness and early atherosclerosis
The researchers analyzed the medical data of 1,266 adolescents, over a period of five years (between 2004 and 2008). Participants provided information on their smoking and alcohol consumption patterns at 13, 15 and 17 years old. Arterial stiffness in the aorta was then assessed using a technique for measuring the speed at which the pulse wave travels through the arterial system. Participants reported the number of cigarettes they had ever smoked and were grouped by intensity, from “low” (0-20 cigarettes), “moderate” (20-99 cigarettes), or “high” (over 100 cigarettes). ).
Adolescents in the “high” intensity group had a 3.7% increase in the stiffness of their arteries, compared to those in the “low” intensity group. By the same logic, young people who tended to “drink to excess“(more than 10 drinks per day), experienced a 4.7% relative increase in the stiffness of their arteries compared to” light “drinkers. Those who drank and smoked a lot experienced stiffening of their arteries 10 , 8% higher than those who had never smoked and who consumed little alcohol.
A vast study that challenges
“We found that in this large cohort, alcohol use and smoking in adolescence, even at levels lower than those reported in studies in adults, are associated with arterial stiffness and progression of blood pressure. ‘atherosclerosis, “said Professor John Deanfield (UCL Institute of Cardiovascular Science), director of the study.
“However, we also found that if adolescents then quit smoking and drinking after adolescence, their arteries return to normal, suggesting that there are opportunities to maintain arterial health from an early age. “, he insists.
“Implement effective educational strategies from childhood”
Study co-author Dr Marietta Charakida comments: “Although studies have shown that adolescents smoke less in recent years, our results indicate that approximately one in five adolescents smoked before the age of. 17 years old and that in families where parents were smokers, adolescents were more likely to smoke.
She concludes: “Governments and policy makers must design and implement effective educational strategies, from childhood, to discourage adolescents from adopting smoking and bad drinking habits. They should also be spoken to. of the benefits of stopping these unhealthy behaviors. “
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