Why Does Alcohol Affect Women More than Men?

When it comes to drinking alcohol or combating hangover symptoms, there is no limit to the amount of misconceptions and wrong beliefs. Surprisingly, neither the hot coffee nor the cold showers are effective in sobering a person. The hangover symptoms wane off only when alcohol is removed from your system completely or you can have Get Sunset to get rid of this alcohol effect.

Contrarily, one common belief that alcohol affects women more than men is true. Irrespective of the height and weight, the body of women processes the alcohol in a completely different way than men. That is why, even when a man and a woman are of the same age, weight and height, when they consume an equal amount of alcohol the intensity of the effect varies.  Rather, women experience the adverse effect very fast and even with much lesser consumption of alcohol.

In this world of equality, where men and women are considered on an equal platform, alcohol consumption is one activity where women should take a back foot simply because the body of men is biologically more capable of processing the blood than the body of women.

Reasons Why Alcohol Affect the Women Adversely Than Men

Here are some of the reasons why alcohol affects women more than men:

• Women Have Less Water

The bodies of women have comparatively less water than the bodies of men. That is why; when men drink alcohol; the extra water dilutes the alcohol. On the other hand, when women drink alcohol, it hits the system without much dilution affects immediately.   

• Hormones Decide the Influence of Alcohol

Another factor that decides the level of influence of alcohol on a woman’s body is hormones. Higher estrogen levels tend to increase the adverse effect of alcohol and vice versa. It means, women taking hormonal supplements, premenstrual/birth control pills are more likely to be instantly hit by alcohol consumption.  Moreover, women naturally have more amount of estrogen in their bodies than men.  

• Less Weight can be A Major Factor

Biologically, men have a stronger body frame and they weigh more than women do. A smaller body is more likely to get rapidly affected by the effect of alcohol than a bigger body. It is because the body of a smaller person will have more concentration of alcohol in her even though everyone has drank the same amount of alcohol. That is why, women immediately feel tipsier as compared to men who start feeling the effect after having a couple of drinks.

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• Women Have Low Levels of Dehydrogenase

The enzyme dehydrogenase in the body breaks down the alcohol. Naturally, women have low levels of this enzyme. That is the reason the bodies of women take more time to process the alcohol than the bodies of men do.

• Women’s Body Have More Fat

Medical science says that the amount of body fat deposit is directly related to the metabolizing and the absorption rate of alcohol. Since women naturally have more body fat as compared to men, the entire amount of alcohol directly gets absorbed into the bloodstream. The fatty layers do not absorb the alcohol as a result women experience intoxication much faster than men do.

How Much Alcohol Women Should Drink

Now that it has been scientifically established that alcohol affects women more than men, it is important to know how much is acceptable for a woman.  You can have an occasional drink in the parties or after work. Drinking wine in moderation has several health benefits. But the negative effect starts when you over indulge leading to intoxication.

Generally, two drinks a day can be acceptable; of course, it depends entirely upon your capacity. Just as men, even women have their individual ability to process alcohol. Women with smaller frames should limit their intake to one glass whereas women with bigger frames and also those not taking any hormone therapy can have the privilege of having a glass extra.

Lower Risk Guidelines

Many health experts recommend that women should not have more than four drinks in one day.  Here one drink is being considered as 12 oz. beer or 8 ounces of malt liquor/ beer, having higher alcoholic percentage or 5 ounces of wine with 11% alcohol or 1.5 ounces of distilled liquor such as gin, whiskey or vodka having almost 40% alcohol.

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How Over-consumption of Alcohol Affect Women

Over-consumption of alcohol can have a serious effect on the health of a woman. Although it equally affects men, a woman’s body is more likely to experience the adverse effects both short term and long term much faster. Doctors advise drinking in moderation or complete abstinence to women to protect themselves from danger.

It is advisable to stick to lower risk guidelines so that you do not put your health at risk.

Bad Effects of Alcohol on the Health of Women

Alcohol, thus can cause deeper and longer term effects on the health of a woman than men over a time, even though both are in the habit of consuming an equal amount of alcohol. Various systems in the bodies of a woman get affected due to over indulgence in alcohol. Some of them include:

• Damage to Liver

The liver of women is damaged more quickly than men. Moreover, women who drink alcohol more than the indicated risk level have higher chances of developing alcoholic hepatitis or cirrhosis.  According to American Health Association, there has been a rise in the number of woman deaths due to cirrhosis since past few years.

• Increases Risk of Heart Problem

Moderate consumption of wine is considered good for the health of the heart. Contrarily, women who are habituated to overindulgence in alcohol are more at risk of being inflicted with different types of heart conditions.

• More Risk of Breast Cancer

Women who drink more than one alcoholic drink in a day have higher chances of developing breast cancer. It is more likely to affect women in their childbearing age with higher estrogen levels.  

• Increased Risk of Vehicular Accidents

A study suggests that female drinkers are more likely get involved in vehicular accidents than a male with the same amount of alcohol content in their bodies. Although, women are less likely to drive under the influence of alcohol when they do drive, they are more at risk of being a part of an accident. The figures of the last two decades indicate that there has been a rise in the number of alcohol-related crashes by women.   

• High Risk of Hypertension

According to health experts, women who are heavy drinkers are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure and related conditions such as stroke and cardiovascular disease. Similarly, heavy drinking in women can also lead to damage to pancreas and brain.  It must be noted here that men, too, experience the same adverse effects, but women suffer from them much earlier.  

• Causes Nerve Damage

Years of heavy drinking ultimately lead to nerve damage in women. In men, the consequences are much delayed. Hence, women should never compare their drinking levels with men and should stick to the lower risk guidelines recommended by the health experts.

Thus, one thing is proven that alcohol affects women more than men. But all is not bleak. The good news is that women are more likely to give up drinking and maintain abstinence as compared to men if they approach a good de-addiction or rehabilitation facility.