- Women are more susceptible to the toxic effects of alcohol on the liver, heart muscle, skeletal muscle, and likely the pancreas and the brain.
- When men and women drink the same amount of alcohol, women develop higher blood alcohol levels than men do.
- The stomach's metabolism of alcohol may be a link between women's greater risk of certain alcohol-related diseases and higher blood alcohol levels after drinking.
In most cultures, including the United States, alcohol is the most frequently used drug. Although American men with alcohol-related problems continue to outnumber American women at a ratio of roughly three to one, women appear to have a greater vulnerability to alcohol-related diseases. This may be due to the fact that, when both genders drink the same amount of alcohol, women develop higher blood alcohol levels than men do. A study in the April issue of
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research searches for the mechanisms that may cause this effect, concentrating on the stomach's role in metabolizing alcohol.
"It has been known for a long time," said Steven Schenker, professor of medicine and pharmacology at The University of Texas, Health Science Center at San Antonio, "that, in general, both women and female animals are more susceptible to the negative or toxic effects of alcohol. This is true for the liver, heart muscle, skeletal muscle, and it may be true for the pancreas and the brain. In other words, there is something about the female gender that makes them more susceptible to toxic amounts of alcohol."
Charles S. Lieber, professor of medicine and pathology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, chief of the Alcohol Research and Treatment Center at the Bronx VA Medical Center, and the study's lead author, agrees. "For example," he said, "women have a higher propensity to develop liver disease than men. In fact, some studies have shown that the minimal amount necessary to produce cirrhosis in the liver in
'"/>
Contact: Charles S. Lieber, M.D.
liebercs@aol.com
718-741-4244
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
15-Apr-2001
Page: 1 2 3 4 Related biology news :1.
Bodys own defense against H. pylori, cause of stomach ulcers and stomach cancer2.
Scientists discover new intricacies in how ulcer bugs stick to stomach3.
Wright State biologist studies birds to learn how our stomachs convey thoughts of hunger4.
Pest control breakthrough from a spiders stomach5.
A human hormone, combined with a full stomach, offers clues for understanding our food intake6.
Stomaching flatfish: How hormones regulate flounder stomach development7.
Ion channels allow bacteria to resist stomach acid8.
New insights into cause of stomach cancer9.
Sweet success on the way to vaccine for ulcers, stomach cancer, reported in Science10.
Ulcer-causing bacteria use stomach inflammation to their advantage11.
Dietary component kills bacterial cause of ulcers and stomach cancer