Bio Paper

Bio Paper

Why do girls get drunk faster than boys?
Why do girls get drunk faster than boys?   Most guys would say it is because girls are “light weights” or that they cannot “handle their alcohol”.   Neither of those is true.   Susan Foster, director of policy research for the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University states that, "The impact of one drink on a girl is roughly equivalent to the impact of two drinks on a boy. . .”.   A woman's body contains less water and more fatty tissue than males.   This increases alcohol absorption compared to a male body.   Women have a lower activity level of an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH), which breaks down alcohol (Wankjek).   There are several reasons why gender matters when it comes to drinking; however, here are just a few Gannett Health Services provide, 1.) Size difference,   2.) Differences in body water content for men and women. (the total body weight of a man is composed of 55-65% water and of a woman is 45-55% water; so alcohol is more diluted in men than in women.),   3.) Men have higher levels of an enzyme (gastric alcohol dyhydrogenase) that aids in the metabolism of alcohol. Having more gastric alcohol dyhydrogenase enables men to more effectively break down alcohol in the stomach before it even reaches the blood stream and impacts blood alcohol concentration,   4.) Hormonal changes in women affect blood alcohol concentration. Some hazards to think about before you drink include nausea, vomiting, disappointing behaviors, and hangovers.                                                                                                                                     A landmark study published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 1990 found that in women levels of gastric alcohol dehydrogenase, a compound that breaks down alcohol, are on average nearly half what they are in men.   It also found that the amount of alcohol metabolized after its first passage through a...