Almost One-quarter of Perth County Women Drinking Too Much. Women more Sensitive to Effects of Alcohol
February 13th, 2014
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Perth County – Almost one-quarter of Perth County women 19 years of age and older drink alcohol in a way that is harmful to their health, according to the Canadian Community Health Survey by Statistics Canada. Drinking alcohol in excess of the Canadian Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines increases a person’s risk of alcohol-related injury and illness, and women are even more sensitive to alcohol’s effects than men.
“People might believe that alcohol affects men and women in the same way,†says Annette Hoyles, Public Health Promoter with the Perth District Health Unit. “However, the female body is more sensitive to alcohol compared to males.â€
Women are generally more vulnerable to the effects of alcohol because:
On average, women weigh less than men. People who weigh less reach higher blood alcohol levels compared to people who weigh more.
Women have more fat tissue than men. Fat tissue causes alcohol to be absorbed more slowly and the effects of alcohol to take longer to wear off.
Women have less water in their bodies to dilute alcohol. If a woman and a man of the same weight drink an equal amount of alcohol, a woman’s blood alcohol concentration will be higher.
Women have lower levels of alcohol-metabolizing enzymes. The lower level of enzymes means that alcohol remains in a woman’s system longer.
As drinking increases, alcohol-related health risks increase more rapidly for women than for men. Compared to men, women are more susceptible to alcohol-related heart disease and have at least double the risk of stroke when they exceed the limits set in the Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines. Alcohol consumption also puts a woman at higher risk of physical violence, sexual assault, and unprotected sex.
“There is no such thing as risk-free drinking, but following the Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines can lower the risk,†adds Hoyles.
The Health Unit’s new campaign, Rethink Your Drinking, is designed to promote the Canadian Low-Risk Alcohol Drinking Guidelines, which recommend the following limits for those who choose to drink alcohol:
For women, no more than 10 standard drinks a week, with no more than 2 drinks a day most days
For men, no more than 15 standard drinks a week, with no more than 3 drinks a day most days
If celebrating a special occasion, drink no more than 3 drinks (for women) or 4 drinks (for men) on any one occasion to reduce your risk of injury and harm
Drink slowly and have no more than 2 drinks in any 3 hours
For every drink of alcohol, have one non-alcoholic drink
Eat before and while you are drinking.
Alcohol consumption has been found to cause more than 200 different diseases and injuries. These include well-known outcomes such as liver cirrhosis or traffic crashes, along with several types of cancer, such as mouth, liver, female breast and colon cancer.
Rethink Your Drinking is a campaign to help change the way we think about and use alcohol. For more information, visit www.rethinkyourdrinking.ca.
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