Why Does Alcohol Affect Women More Than Men?

Because alcohol stays in their blood longer, the effect of one drink for women is comparable to that of two drinks for men. Thus, women are more affected by alcohol. For example, let’s consider a male and female individual who both weigh 68 kg and drink the same amount of alcohol (say, 4 glasses of beer – 340 ml each). The concentration of alcohol in the woman’s blood when it’s 0.1%, it’s 0.08% of a man’s It shows that the woman is more drunk than the man.

Despite consuming the same amount of alcohol There are actually several reasons for this situation, which causes the alcohol content in their blood to be different. Body size, water ratio in the body, differences in metabolism and hormones are very effective in this regard. Then come on, let’s get into the details.

The fact that men’s bodies are larger than women’s causes men to be less affected by alcohol.

There is a biological presupposition that women are thinner than men (of course, there are exceptions). Therefore, a small body is better than a large body. digests alcohol later we can say. In addition, the ratio of fat and muscle is very important in terms of the effect of alcohol.

For example, so that alcohol does not make you too high, so to speak. amount of water available in the body There should be more in muscle than fat. It should also be reminded of the fact that 76% of muscle tissue is filled with water. Likewise, the amount of water in the adipose tissue is less than this rate. Thus, while alcohol mixed with the blood circulates in the body, alcohol can be absorbed more by the muscles than fat.

It can be said that men have higher muscle and fat ratios and blood flow in muscle tissues than women. Therefore, the rate of alcohol in the body of men is higher than that of women. decreases faster and becomes ineffective possible to say. Women have a higher body fat percentage; It causes alcohol to stay in the blood for a long time.

The water content is also an important factor. While approximately 55% of women’s bodies are made up of water, this ratio is 68% in men. All in all alcohol is a water-soluble substance One of the reasons for the rapid decrease in the alcohol rate in men is the water rate in their bodies.

As for the metabolism part:

Any liquid we drink passes through our digestive system (gastrointestinal tract) and is absorbed by our stomach. Afterwards, the capillaries come into play and absorb the alcohol. carries it to the liver. Although some of the alcohol is digested in the stomach, we can say that the liver is a primary site for the digestion of alcohol. This is because liver cells produce an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase, which acts as a catalyst for the digestion of alcohol. Although this journey of alcohol in metabolism is the same for both sexes, what causes the different results about the effect of alcohol is the existing in the body. alcohol dehydrogenase enzyme is the amount.

Men have active levels of these enzymes both in their stomachs and in their livers. Although women do not have any of this enzyme in their stomachs, they are also found in very low amounts in their livers. So, for this reason, the alcohol rate in the blood stays for a longer time in women; Thus, women can experience the hangover effect of alcohol intensely. Therefore, men to get drunk at the same rate as women they may need to consume more alcohol than they do.

Women’s hormones cause them to experience the effects of alcohol more intensely.

women; There is a difference in hormone levels in the periods that are close to the beginning of the menstrual cycle, which we call premenstrual. This causes them to digest alcohol more slowly than men. When the menstrual period comes, women can be adversely affected by alcohol if they drink alcohol. Because during the menstrual period, hormones are more more active is happening. For this reason, women who use hormone booster pills may also experience the danger of poisoning when they drink alcohol.

This is what we’re talking about How is it biologically was meant to explain. In other words, we do not want it to be thought that we exhibit a sexist approach. The fact that women are more affected by alcohol than men also enables them to experience the fun of tipsy or drunkenness modes more than men. In other words, it evolves into a situation that can be interpreted positively depending on where you look at it.

Female and male individuals when they drink alcohol together If they want to enjoy alcohol at the same rate, it would be beneficial for female individuals to adjust their alcohol intake rate according to their body weight. Or, male individuals can increase or decrease the amount of alcohol they drink according to the rate of alcohol consumed by their partners.

Sources: Science ABC, Health Harvard Edu, The Swaddle, Creaky Joints, Fortune, ABC