Women more susceptible to alcohol-related liver damage

Women are more susceptible to alcohol-related liver damage

03/12/2014

It has long been known that too much alcohol damages your health. Experts now point out that especially women should be cautious about alcohol consumption. Compared to men, they are twice as susceptible to alcohol-related liver damage.

Especially women should abstain from alcohol
When drinking alcohol, women should be particularly cautious, as they are twice as susceptible to alcohol-related liver damage as men. The organ can become seriously ill with permanently excessive alcohol consumption. Women should drink no more than a glass of beer, wine or schnapps per day to minimize risks to the liver. In addition, they should completely abstain from alcohol for two days a week. This informs the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA), according to a message from the news agency dpa.

Other limits in men
For men, however, slightly different limits apply. With them, the risk of damage to health, even with a maximum of two glasses of beer or wine or two schnapps per day is still relatively low. But even for them, they should not touch alcohol two days a week. People who consume too much alcohol permanently risk massive damage to the liver, including life-threatening cirrhosis, the final stage of chronic liver disease.

Germans drink a lot of alcohol
However, looking at statistical numbers, many people in this country are likely to be a long way from the recommended maximum recommendations. Just a few months ago, a study by the World Health Organization (WHO) showed that in 2012 alone, Germans absorbed more than five liters of pure alcohol per capita via their beer consumption. In the same year, Germans over the age of 15 drank almost 12 liters of pure alcohol per capita on average. The difference between the sexes was enormous. While it was seven liters of pure alcohol per capita per year for women, men consumed more than twice as much (16.8 liters). (Ad)