Alcohol: It's Riskier for Women's Health

Friday, September 12, 2003

Alcohol: It's Riskier for Women's Health ROCHESTER, Minn. — Drinking alcohol may pose more health risks for women than men, according to new research that includes both sexes. Until recently, most alcohol-related research focused only on men.

Because women are generally smaller and have a higher percentage of body fat than men, they metabolize alcohol less efficiently. But researchers have found the effects of alcohol on women go far beyond size and metabolism. The September issue of Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource highlights several areas where women appear to be more vulnerable to alcohol-related health conditions.

Liver damage: Researchers have found that compared with men, women develop alcohol-induced liver diseases over a shorter time and after consuming less alcohol. Findings suggest that women are more likely than men to develop alcoholic hepatitis and to die of cirrhosis of the liver.

Brain damage: Women may be more vulnerable than men to alcohol-induced brain damage. Researchers have found that a brain region involved in coordinating multiple brain functions is significantly smaller among alcoholic women than among both nonalcoholic women and alcoholic men.

Heart disease: Although there's some consensus that men who consume up to two alcoholic drinks a day have a lower death rate from coronary artery disease than do heavier drinkers and abstainers, in women a similar benefit is seen with just one drink a day. Larger amounts aren't clearly beneficial or safe for women.

Problem drinking: Women have a shorter window of time than do men between the onset of drinking and the development of problem drinking with adverse health consequences. Studies show that women are more likely than men to drop out of a treatment program.

Breast cancer: More than two drinks a day increase the risk of breast cancer for women.

Mayo Clinic in Rochester
Carol Lammers
507-284-5005 (days)
507-284-2511(evenings)
email: newsbureau@mayo.edu

Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville
Erik Kaldor
904-953-2300

Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale
Anne Tewksbury
480-301-4368

Mayo Clinic Women's HealthSource is published monthly to help women enjoy healthier, more productive lives. Revenue from subscriptions is used to support medical research at Mayo Clinic. To subscribe, please call 800-876-8633, extension 9PK1.

###

To obtain the latest news releases from Mayo Clinic, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news. MayoClinic.com is available as a resource for your health stories.