If SHE Drinks Like HE Does

Of all the nutrition talk sessions I have delivered over the last 9 years, there hasn’t been a single one where I wasn’t asked about alcohol as part of the queries that follow the talk. Alcohol has had a prominent role throughout history. Old religious and medical writings frequently recommend it’s use, although with warnings for moderation. At a time when life was filled with physical and emotional hardships, people valued alcohol for it’s analgesic & euphoric qualities. As a widely consumed beverage, alcohol eludes easy classification. Like fat, protein & carbohydrates, it provides energy when metabolized.

We all know alcohol is a vice even though the topic remains extremely debatable. There are ample researches that confirm both that alcohol is NOT a nutrient and totally avoidable . Even if it’s a vice , it’s a part of modern day living, and many a times,  both men & women  are looking for practical solutions to help them include this vice smartly without succumbing to lifestyle diseases. The response to alcohol varies from one individual to another. Surprisingly, Asians are not able to metabolize same quantities of alcohol as Europeans. Similarly, with growing age, one’s tolerance to alcohol is less than it used to be, same goes for both men and women. Another debate is as to why  should women limit their alcohol intake as compared to men, more so in modern times where women are competing with men in all walks of life and excelling equally. Here’s why :

1)      Body size: Women have smaller physical builds and therefore have smaller livers as compared to men which means they have lesser capacity to metabolize alcohol. This also means women are more likely to experience heart disease, liver problems and slip into depression after a shorter time of drinking.

2)      Body Compostition : Women have more fat, less muscle mass and less total body water in comparison to men. After alcohol is consumed, it diffuses uniformly into all body water, both inside and outside cells. Lesser amount of body water implies higher concentration of alcohol after consuming same amount of alcohol as men. Blood alcohol rises faster in women, making them more intoxicated than men at an equivalent amount  of alcohol.

3)    Less Enzyme Activity: Biologically, women have significantly lower quantity of dehydrogenase, the  enzyme needed to metabolize alcohol, as compared to men. As a result, alcohol metabolizes much slowly in women than in men leading to more intense hangovers for women.

4)      Hormonal Fluctuations: Women typically have a heightened response to alcohol, during the pre-menstrual time. Also, alcohol increases estrogen levels. So women taking birth-control pills may feel intoxicated sooner.

5)      Chronic Alcohol dependence: Female alcoholics have death rates 50-100% higher than those of male alcoholics. Moreover, a higher percentage of female alcoholics die from suicides, accidents caused in an ebriated state, circulatory disorders & liver cirrhosis.  

6)      Breast Cancer Risk : There is an association between drinking alcohol and developing breast cancer. Studies demonstrate that women who consume about 1 drink/day have around 9 percent higher chance of developing breast cancer than women who do not drink at all. That risk increases for every additional drink they have per day.

A few other interesting observations include that women are prone to get addicted to alcohol more quickly than men. This makes our gender more vulnerable to heavy drinking and subsequently to alcohol-related medical problems. However, on the plus side, women start drinking much later in life than men and when in group, they consume less alcohol as compared to men who bond over drinks.

PRO-PORTION:
Based on the above criteria, women should certainly not compete with men at least in this area. Women who are trying to conceive , pregnant or lactating should strictly abstain from alcohol. However, alcohol consumed in moderation, along with a balanced diet, should not pose any health problem to an average healthy individual. Moderate drinking is usually defined as “1-2 drinks for men and 1 for women at a time”. However, on a lighter note, this does not imply that one avoids alcohol for 6 days in a week and takes 7 drinks on the 7th day under the name of “MODERATION”. A more than moderate consumption of alcohol can also imply higher oxidative stress which can translate to premature aging of skin, wrinkles and dark circles besides a puffy & swollen face the morning after.

So, while the booze-lovers can continue to harp about the antioxidants in wine , or how a couple of single malt can be good for the heart, or that beer keeps kidneys healthy; there is definitely a less toxic way to get our antioxidants  & polyphenols and detoxifying enzymes through fresh fruit & vegetables, functional foods, spices & supplements without falling prey to addiction.

Always remember the lines … “First you take a drink, then the drink takes a drink, then the drink takes you.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald.