Binge drinking increase blood pressure, but steady drinking does not, say French researchers.
There are big national differences in the way people consume alcohol.

In mainland Europe, wine and beer are more often drunk with a meal and the law doesn't require people to 'drink up' at a certain time when they're on licensed premises. For this reason, binge drinking - having a lot to drink at the weekend - is more common in Britain than in France.

The two nations might drink the same - but their patterns of consumption are very different. So how might this affect health? Researchers in France and Northern Ireland now report on the drinking and blood pressure variations of their compatriots. Men in Northern Ireland will typically drink two thirds of their alcohol at the weekend, compared to French men who spread it out during the week.

The researchers found that the blood pressure of the Northern Irish men peaked on a Monday, and fell through to a Thursday. For the French, there was no variation during the week. That the fluctuations were due to alcohol is suggested by the fact that abstainers from both countries had no blood pressure variation during the week. Of course, it might not be just the alcohol that caused the rise in blood pressure - drinking often goes with more smoking and more consumption of salty snacks, like crisps, which also increase blood pressure.

Source

Hypertension December 2001