Stars who knock back whisky, wine or beer in a movie are an invisible but potent force in prompting youngsters to experiment with alcohol or binge-drink, a large US study published on Tuesday suggests. Major exposure to scenes of alcohol consumption in movies is a bigger risk for teen drinking than having parents who drink or if booze is easily available at home, it says. Unprecedented in its scope, the probe entailed a confidential telephone survey … full story

Binge drinkers are at twice the risk of a heart attack than those who consume the same amount but spread it over a week. Researchers, led by Jean-Bernard Ruidavets from the Toulouse University in France, examined almost 10,000 healthy men aged between 50 and 59 and tracked them for 10 years. It was found that the men who “binge” drink had nearly twice the risk of heart attack or dying from heart disease compared to regular drinkers over the 10 … full story