Women feel the effects of alcohol more quickly than men do. This is true even for men and women of the same size who drink the same amount of alcohol. Although they both have the same enzymes for alcohol digestion, the larger quantity of the enzyme gastric alcohol dehydrogenase in men means they are able to metabolize more alcohol than women, leaving less alcohol to influence them. Additionally, differences in the physiological makeup of men and women also make women more sensitive to the effects of alcohol.
Impact of Alcohol
Once you have a drink, alcohol, the intoxicating substance found in wine, beer and other alcoholic beverages, affects your entire body system. Although the amount of alcohol varies depending on the drink you are having, alcohol from any source affects the body in the same way: It adversely affects your central nervous system by slowing motor coordination, reaction time as well as mental performance. While these signs are prevalent in both genders, women are affected by these symptoms after consuming smaller amounts of alcohol than men.
Alcohol-Digesting Enzyme
Women have 25 percent less gastric alcohol dhydrogenase in their stomach than men and are, therefore, able to digest less alcohol in their stomachs than men are. Consequently, the major portion of the ingested alcohol is quickly absorbed through the cells of the stomach and intestine and enters the bloodstream. This increases the blood alcohol content, or BAC, in women at a faster rate than in men. The University Health Services of Princeton University states that the BAC of a 120-pound woman after four drinks in an hour will be 0.17, while that of a 160-pound man after five drinks in an hour would be 0.14.
Body Size
Another factor that increases the effect of alcohol in women is their smaller body size. The larger body weight and corresponding larger amount of body water in men rapidly dilutes the amount of circulating blood alcohol. In contrast, the smaller body size and water content in women results in a high concentration of blood alcohol shortly after consumption. Women also have more body fat than men, which does not absorb alcohol and therefore does not help in reducing the blood alcohol content, according to Dr. David Hanson of the State University of New York.
Female Hormones and Alcohol
High estrogen levels decrease the rate of alcohol metabolism, resulting in higher alcohol concentrations in blood shortly after consumption. Women on birth control pills that contain estrogen, and those who drink in the days before their periods, are likely to feel the influence of alcohol more quickly. Over time, alcohol consumption in women can lead to anemia, malnutrition, stomach irritation, low immunity against disease and an inability to utilize vitamins and calcium. In addition to dull skin and hair, alcoholism in women has been associated with breast and neck cancer. Limiting alcohol intake is the best way of reducing its effects.
References
- Princeton University; University Health Services; Alcohol
- Saint John’s University: Women and Alcohol: How We are Different than Men
- Brown University Health Education: Alcohol and Your Body
- State University of New York; Alcohol Problems and Solutions; Drinking: Men and Women are Unequal; David J. Hanson
