Heart disease, stroke and diabetes are just some of the health problems facing people over age 35 who started drinking heavily during their teens and as young adults, Reuters reported Jan. 25.

Researchers said that early, heavy drinkers are more likely to develop "metabolic syndrome" -- a cluster of health problems including obesity, high blood pressure, low levels of "good" cholesterol, high blood sugar, and high triglycerides. They drew their conclusions from studying the lifetime drinking patterns of 2,800 adults ages 35-80.

Early drinkers were defined as those who started drinking early in life and tended to drink heavily in their teens and as young adults. They were more than one-third more likely to develop metabolic syndrome than adults who drank moderately over their lifespan.

The research appears in the January 2008 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.