Women's Health
Alcohol-related deaths rising faster among women
Research we're watching
- Reviewed by Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
Alcohol-related deaths in the United States are rising faster among women than men, a new analysis suggests.
For the study, published in the July 2023 issue of JAMA Network Open, researchers evaluated CDC data tracking underlying causes of death from 1999 to 2020. In that period, about 606,000 Americans died of alcohol-related causes, which included alcohol poisoning, liver disease, and heart problems, among others. The researchers found that while men still die of alcohol-related problems in far greater numbers than women, deaths among women are growing at a faster rate. Between 2018 and 2020, alcohol-related death rates among men increased by an average of 12.5% per year; for women, the annual average increased nearly 15%.
Several biological factors make women more susceptible to alcohol's effects, the study authors said. For example, women have lower levels of enzymes that metabolize alcohol, which means it takes our bodies longer to break down alcohol before it can damage organs. Women's bodies also have a lower proportion of water than men's do, allowing alcohol to become more concentrated.
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About the Author
Maureen Salamon, Executive Editor, Harvard Women's Health Watch
About the Reviewer
Toni Golen, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Women's Health Watch; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing; Contributor
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