Alcohol & Gender
How Alcohol Discriminates
Unfortunately, alcohol isn't up with the times when it comes to treating men and women equally. Check out this chart to see how much drinking affects you, based on whether you are male or female.
| Factor | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
|
Ability to Dilute Alcohol |
Average Total Body Water: 52% |
Average Total Body Water: 61% |
|
Ability to Metabolize Alcohol |
Women have a smaller quantity of dehydrogenase, an enzyme that breaks down alcohol. |
Men have a larger quantity of dehydrogenase, which allows them to break down the alcohol they consume more quickly. |
|
Hormonal Factors |
Premenstrual hormonal changes cause intoxication to set in faster during the days right before a woman gets her period. Alcohol increases estrogen levels. Birth control pills or other medication with estrogen increases intoxication. |
Their susceptibility to getting drunk does not fluctuate dramatically at certain times of the month. Alcohol also increases estrogen levels in men. Chronic alcoholism has been associated with loss of body hair and muscle mass, development of swollen breasts and shrunken testicles, and impotence. |