Should a girl try to keep up with the guys while drinking at a party? Though some people think otherwise, women and men do process alcohol differently. Women become more intoxicated and their blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is higher after drinking the same amount of alcohol as men, even if they are the same weight.
Evidence for the Health Claim
There are several physiological reasons why a woman will feel the effects of alcohol more quickly and strongly than a man. Women are often smaller than men, and thus have a smaller volume of blood, so consuming the same amount of alcohol as a larger man will result in a higher BAC. However, even if a man and a woman are the same weight and drink the same amount of alcohol, the woman will still become more intoxicated. This is true for several reasons:
- Women have less water in their bodies than men dowater makes up 52% of a womans body, as compared to 61% of a mans. Therefore, a mans body can dilute more alcohol than a womans body can, and more alcohol will stay in a womans body (increasing BAC).
- Women tend to have a higher proportion of body fat than men of the same weight, and this affects how the body processes alcohol. Alcohol cant be dissolved in fat, so more alcohol becomes concentrated in a womans body fluids (like blood), raising her BAC to a higher level than that of a man of similar weight who drinks the same amount of alcohol.
- Compared with men, women have less alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), an enzyme in the liver and stomach that breaks down alcohol. Because the alcohol in a womans body isnt broken down as efficiently as in a mans body, more alcohol enters a womans bloodstream and her BAC increases.
- Hormonal differences between men and women may also affect alcohol metabolism. During a womans menstrual cycle, changes in hormone levels affect the rate at which a woman becomes intoxicated. Alcohol metabolism slows down during the premenstrual phase of a womans cycle (right before she gets her period), which causes more alcohol to enter the bloodstream and the woman to get drunker faster. Birth control pills and other medications with estrogen also slow the rate at which women process alcohol.
Evidence Against the Health Claim
Some people understand that the liver can only process a certain amount of alcohol per hour, but mistakenly believe that the rate of alcohol metabolism is the same for everyone, regardless of gender. In fact, there is no substantial evidence to refute the claim that women get drunk faster than men.
Conclusion
When men and women drink alcohol at the same rate, regardless of their weight, women will achieve a higher BAC and become more impaired. This is because of physiological differences in body composition, metabolism, and hormones. So girls, dont try to go beer-for-beer with the guystheyve got the biological advantage on this one!
References:
Alcohol. Health MattersTaft College website. Available at: http://www.taftcollege.edu/newtc/studentservices/health/alcohol.htm . Accessed August 3, 2006.
Alcohol. Princeton University website. Available at: http://www.princeton.edu/uhs/hi_alcohol.html . Accessed August 3, 2006.
Alcohol metabolism. Alcohol Alert . No. 35; PH 371 Jan 1997. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism website. Available at: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa35.htm . Accessed August 3, 2006.
Are women more vulnerable to alcohol's effects? Alcohol Alert . No. 46. Dec 1999. National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism website. Available at: http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/aa46.htm . Accessed August 3, 2006.
Myths and facts about alcohol and other drugs (2005). University of Michigan website. Available at: http://www.uhs.umich.edu/wellness/aod/mythandfacts.html#alcohol . Accessed August 3, 2006.
Sutker PB, Tabakoff B, Goist KC Jr, et al. Acute alcohol intoxication, mood states, and alcohol metabolism in women and men. Pharmacol Biochem Behav . 1983;18(1): 349-54.
Image Credit: Nucleus Communications, Inc.
Last reviewed August 2006 by Richard Glickman-Simon, MD
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
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