Title: Study Reveals Rising Number of Alcohol-Related Deaths Among Women
Byline: Melissa Rudy, Fox News | August 1, 2023 | 2:02am
A new study published in JAMA Network on July 28 has found a concerning trend of rising alcohol-related deaths among women. While historically males have been more likely to die from alcohol-related conditions, the gap between genders is narrowing.
The study, conducted by researchers from Hofstra University, Harvard Medical School, and the University of South Carolina, analyzed nearly 606,000 deaths linked to alcohol between 1999 and 2020, based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data. It revealed that mortality rates have been increasing for both men and women, but the spike has been particularly sharp among females.
Between 2018 and 2020, the mortality rate among men increased by 12.5%, while the rate among women increased significantly by 14.7%. The most prominent increase was observed in the last three years of the study, even after excluding data from the first year of the pandemic.
Dr. Shana Johnson, a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician in Scottsdale, Arizona, expressed concern over this finding, stating that women experience greater health consequences from alcohol consumption compared to men.
The deaths analyzed in the study were linked to various alcohol-related conditions, including poisoning, gastritis, cardiomyopathy, liver disease, and others. The researchers suggested that changing patterns of alcohol consumption among women, with higher amounts and frequencies of drinking, could be contributing to these trends.
One potential reason for the increase in drinking rates among women is the rise in stress levels and stress-related disorders in recent years. Chronic stress caused by soaring food and housing costs may be driving women to cope through increased alcohol use.
Physiological factors also contribute to the higher mortality risk among women. Females tend to have a higher percentage of body fat and a lower percentage of body water compared to men, resulting in higher alcohol blood concentrations and potentially increasing vulnerability to complications. Other factors include hormonal fluctuations, slower alcohol metabolism, and higher susceptibility to organ damage, circulatory disorders, and breast cancer.
However, the study had limitations, and more research is needed to identify specific factors contributing to alcohol-related deaths and examine trends among specific age groups. Additionally, historical and generational factors were not considered, and there was insufficient data for females aged 15 to 24.
These findings shed light on the importance of addressing alcohol consumption and its impacts on women’s health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has previously stated that there is no safe amount of alcohol consumption, as it is a toxic, psychoactive, and dependence-producing substance associated with various forms of cancer.
Alcohol remains the fourth-leading preventable cause of mortality in the United States, causing over 140,000 deaths annually. Efforts should be directed towards raising awareness, providing support for stress management, and promoting healthier coping mechanisms to combat the rising number of alcohol-related deaths among women.