Heavy drinking by adolescents and young adults is associated with increased long-term risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic disorders, Newswise reported on Nov. 20.

The study revealed that the increased health risks were independent of the total amount of alcohol consumed over a lifetime or whether people stopped drinking as they matured.

"Early initiation of alcohol drinking and heavy drinking in adolescence and early adulthood seem to be associated with a number of adverse health effects collectively known as the metabolic syndrome," said senior author Dr. Marcia Russell of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation's Prevention Research Center in Berkeley, Calif. 

Metabolic syndrome describes a cluster of metabolic risk factors that increase the chances of developing heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. The exact cause of the syndrome is not known, but genetic factors, too much body fat, particularly in the waist, and lack of exercise increase the risk of developing the syndrome.

The study retrospectively collected information on 2,800 people based on data from the Western New York Health Study (1996-2001).

The research will be published in the January 2008 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.