As Women's Health Month comes to an end, public health officials are urging Wisconsin women to be aware of the increased risks they face from any amount of alcohol consumption.
Experts said alcohol affects women differently than men, affecting every system in the body and potentially leading to hundreds of conditions including cardiovascular diseases and some types of cancers.
Dr. George Koob, director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, said women absorb and metabolize alcohol differently and tend to have a higher blood alcohol level than men after consumption because of body water distribution.
"The pathology associated with alcohol is just generally worse in women than in men and progress more quickly," Koob explained. "Everything from emergency department visits, hospitalization, liver transplants and even deaths among women compared to men."
He added women are more likely to use alcohol to cope with stress and have higher levels of anxiety disorders and major depressive episodes, and are more likely to self-medicate with alcohol. Nearly 30% of adults in Wisconsin binge drink at least once per month.
Koob noted in the past 50 years, the prevalence of drinking for women has caught up to men and some evidence suggests women progress more quickly in the stages of addiction to alcohol than men. He advised being aware of any family history of alcohol use disorder, since addiction can have genetic and environmental components.
"Alcohol is a social lubricant, it's an intricate part of our society but its toxicity is dose dependent," Koob emphasized. "The more you drink, the more of the problems there are."
Dr. Lisa Saul, chief medical officer for women's health at UnitedHealthcare, said any amount of alcohol consumption comes with risks, with effects intensifying during perimenopause for women.
"There is recent research that's challenging that 'glass of red wine a day' guidance that we did receive," Saul reported. "We are seeing that there's increasing consensus among experts that there is no safe or healthy amount of alcohol."
Research shows even one drink per day can increase a woman's risk for breast cancer by up to 15%. Currently, the U.S. dietary guidelines for women are one drink in a 24-hour period.
