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Women now drink as much alcohol as the men's world
So far, it has usually been men who have been associated with high alcohol consumption. However, a new study shows that women now drink as much as men of the same age. Health experts are watching the development with concern.
High alcohol consumption damages your health
High alcohol consumption is one of the main health risks. Persistently drinking too much, according to experts, can damage all organs of the body. Alcoholism increases the risk of numerous diseases such as high blood pressure, cardiac arrhythmia, heart failure, fatty liver and nerve damage. In addition, according to scientists, alcohol can trigger seven cancers, including colorectal cancer. Nevertheless, a social evening with friends or a pub visit without alcoholic drinks is almost unimaginable for many people. This is also true of women; According to a new study, they now drink as much as men.
In the past, women were more reluctant to drink alcoholic beverages. But now they drink as much as men. This has now been determined in a study. (Image: Monkey Business / fotolia.com) Women usually tolerate less
Actually, women are always more restrained when it comes to alcoholic beverages. They usually tolerate less than men. In addition, alcohol affects their health sometimes even more negative. Researchers have found that alcohol is particularly damaging to women's hearts and that they are more susceptible to alcohol-related liver damage. All the more worrying, therefore, is what Australian scientists now report: Women now drink alcohol in the international comparison just as often as men.
Alcohol consumption of the sexes was similar
Especially after the birth of 1966, the alcohol consumption of the sexes equalized. The report the scientists of the "University of New South Wales" after analyzing almost 70 studies in the journal "BMJ Open". Tim Slade's team had selected 68 works from over 4.4 million participants, which were published between 1980 and 2014, for the study. More than 75 percent of the studies came from Europe and North America, some of which covered periods of several decades.
Men used to drink twice as much
It turned out that in the generation born between 1891 and 1910, the likelihood of alcohol being drunk was twice as high in men than in women. For those born between 1991 and 2000, however, the use of such beverages was almost identical. Especially since the birth of 1966, the sexes approached. According to researchers, the discrepancy between genders during alcohol consumption fell 4.2 percent every five years over the entire study period.
In addition, it was found that problematic alcohol consumption in men was three times more frequent in the early 20th century than in women, but only 1.3 times at the end of the century. Thus, for alcohol-related health problems, the gap between men and women decreased from a factor of 3.6 to a factor of 1.3.
No examination of the amount consumed
It should be noted, however, that the study examined only the use of alcohol by women in relation to men, but not the absolute amount consumed. So it is not clear whether the adjustment is due to increased consumption among women, falling consumption among men, or both. However, according to the authors, there is evidence that women are drinking more today than they used to.
Although it is considered safe for women to drink a maximum of 0.25 liters of beer or 0.1 liters of wine per day (men a maximum of 0.5 liters of beer or 0.2 liters of wine), whether moderate drinking is really healthy remains controversial. In addition, the limits are often not met anyway. In Germany, people drink more than average alcohol.
Prevention programs for men and women
"Alcohol use and problematic alcohol use historically were considered more of a phenomenon in men," the Australian scientists write in a note from the college. The study, however, gained new insights. "We need to make sure that we reach out to both men and women in education campaigns and show them the dangers of alcohol," the researchers said. "We need to target young people before adopting drinking patterns," and develop universal prevention programs.
Women with higher incomes drink more
Also in this country the study received recognition. According to a report by Spiegel Online, Gabriele Bartsch from the German main office for addiction issues in Hamm said: "I can only confirm the results of the researchers for Germany." She explained: "We have been observing for some time that the alcohol consumption of men and women Women and their associated problems more and more. "
This is especially related to social development. Thus, women would be in the past rather in the working life, would rather have their own money and be self-confident. It is also striking that alcohol consumption in Germany is particularly widespread among women with higher incomes. Last but not least, beverage producers are bringing more and more products to the market that appeal to women.
Risky alcohol consumption in both sexes
According to Sebastian Müller from the Center for Alcohol Research (CAR) at the University of Heidelberg, the result is fundamentally plausible. However, this applies more to moderate alcohol consumption. In this country, women are still more frequently abstainers and, to a lesser extent, strong drinkers than men.
Last year, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) published the Federal Health Survey, which came to the conclusion that risky alcohol consumption in Germany is about 13 percent as widespread in women as in men with just under 16 percent. (Ad)