Alcohol Risk Is Greater for Women

Women are more vulnerable than men when it comes to alcohol consumption, according to new research in the September 2003 issue of the Arizona Mayo Clinic?s Women?s HealthSource. Researchers found that women develop alcohol-related liver disease in less time and after consuming less alcohol, and they appear more likely to develop alcoholic hepatitis and to die of cirrhosis of the liver, compared with men.

Brain damage as a result of drinking is more frequent in women.The researchers found that a region involved in multiple brain functions is dramatically smaller in alcoholic women than in both nonalcoholic women and alcoholic men. Furthermore, taking >2 drinks a day increases the risk of breast cancer for women.