A biomarker found in the blood of alcohol users is much higher in binge drinkers than in those who drink moderately, according to a new study that measured the effects of alcohol on young adults. The biomarker, known as phosphatidylethanol (PEth), could be used to screen young people at greater risk for harmful drinking behaviors, such as college students.
“Binge drinking is pervasive on college campuses and among young adults,” said Mariann Piano, Ph.D., professor and head of the department of biobehavioral health science in the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) College of Nursing.
“More alarming, though, is the regularity of binge drinking episodes: one in five students report three or more binge drinking episodes in the prior two weeks.”
Having performed extensive research on alcohol and its effects on health, Piano already knew that PEth is a biomarker linked to alcohol consumption, but it had never before been measured in young adults.
[For more of this story, written by Traci Pedersen, go to http://psychcentral.com/news/2...-drinkers/87299.html]
Comments (0)