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                        Taken from KeelyNet BBS (214) 324-3501
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                                   August 17, 1990

                          Alcohol and its Effect on Women

                 courtesy of the Double Helix BBS at 212-865-7043

       The following is  an  abstract from the N.E.J.M. 1/11/90 which might
       be of general help and is of definite  interest  in  defining social
       behavior and in defining the limits of ourselves.

       The article concerns the effects of alcohol and sex factors.

       The abstract is as follows:

            After consuming a comparable amount of ethanol (alcohol), women
            were found to have higher blood ethanol concentrations than men
            even with allowances for differences in size and  were found to
            be more susceptible to alcohol induced liver disease.

            Recently we  documented  significant "first-pass metabolism" of
            ethanol due to its oxidation by gastric tissue.

            We report  a  study  of  the   possible  contribution  of  this
            metabolism to  the  sex  related  difference in  blood  alcohol
            concentrations in  20  men and 23 women. Six in each group were
            alcoholics.

       Comments:

            What is being noted here (after  first  being noted in rats) is
            that women  do  not  metabolize alcohol via enzymes  which  are
            present in  their  stomachs, or more specifically their stomach
            walls (gastric mucosa) while men do.

            In both  men and women this ability  decreases  with  excessive
            consumption, however  women  have  less ability  to  metabolize
            alcohol in  this  manner than men, even if they are not regular
            consumers.

            This sex difference is not reported  for  rats, but the ability
            to significantly metabolize alcohol via the stomach  mucosa was
            first noticed in this species.

            In women  who  are alcoholics stomach metabolism of alcohol was
            virtually abolished.

            The significance of this is that women who consume alcohol
            excessively are more likely  to  suffer  damage, usually to the
            liver, than are men.

            Furthermore, in regard to women who are pregnant, the existence
            of the fetal alcohol syndrome, even in women who  consume small
            amounts of alcohol iž explained.






            It has  previously  been  documented  that  women  who  consume
            alcohol during their pregnancy  have  smaller, less healthw and
           possibly less intelligent babies than does who do not.

            Of course  this  highlights  the  fact  that  without  question
            alcohol is the most dangerous drug problem this nation has.

            Other studies  on  this subject have shown that while cigarette
            smokers pay the public and private  health  cost of smoking via
            the taxes placed on the product, alcohol consumers do not.

            That is to say that the amount of taxes paid for  alcohol  does
            not cover   the   medical  cost  alcoholic  drinkers  bring  on
            themselves because of their consumption.

            This is despite the fact that  one  gallon of alcohol, untaxed,
            is costs  about  $2  while the same gallon, when  taxed,  costs
            about $20.

            Interestingly, while it has for a long time been common medical
            knowledge that  the  substance  abuse  laws  are  antiquated in
            regard to  our  documented knowledge  of  harm  caused  by  the
            substances so listed (marijuana in particular) the list can not
            only be considered stupid but sexist as well.

            I do not mean to encourage the use of anything  but  women  who
            are pregnant  must  avoid the use of all legal drugs and should
            not be mislead into thinking  the  legality  of a substance has
            anything to do with its potential harm.

            This point is stressed since surveys of drug and  alcohol  have
            shown a decline of one with the increase of the other.

            During the  60's  and  70's  when  drug  consumption  of  other
            substances increased the rate of alcohol consumption declined.

            More recently the opposite trend has manifested.

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       If you have comments or other information relating to such topics as
       this paper covers,  please upload to KeelyNet or send to the Vangard
       Sciences address as listed on the  first  page.   Thank you for your
       consideration, interest and support.

           Jerry W. Decker.........Ron Barker...........Chuck Henderson
                             Vangard Sciences/KeelyNet
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