Consuming alcoholic beverages such as red wine in moderation has been shown to improve heart health and lower the risk of a heart attack. However, the negative impact of alcohol abuse – including binge drinking – has also been documented very well.

In a recent study, scientists from South Korea found that those who have high blood pressure and consume large quantities of alcohol in a short period of time, may be at a dramatically higher risk of stroke or heart-related death.

In fact, the risk was four times higher, but rose to 12 times higher for individuals who could be defined as “heaving binge drinkers,” meaning that they consume 12 or more drinks on one occasion.

Since women in the sample of some 6,100 residents of a rural community in South Korea constituted less than one percent of binge drinkers – while among men, about 15 percent were moderate binge drinkers and about 3 percent heavy drinkers – the study cannot be used to make inferences about their risk of death, said Dr. Heechoul Ohrr, senior author of the study and professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul.

For those who drink alcohol, the American Heart Association recommends doing so in moderation. Men should consume no more than two drinks per day and women should not exceed one.