Q: Is there a scientific reason that men can handle more alcohol than women?
A: Yes! Wisconsin girls think many times that they can hang drink for drink with men, but there are gender differences in the way that men and women metabolize alcohol.
According to Dr. Susan Smith, a Nutritional Science Professor at UW-Madison, the gastrointestinal tract in men metabolizes up to 20 percent of the ethanol in alcohol, whereas women only metabolize about 5 percent. This means that women absorb more ethanol per drink, leaving more of the potent toxin in their bodies. For this reason, women feel more of an effect after one drink of alcohol. Additionally, women tend to weigh less and have a higher percent fat content. Alcohol is excluded from fat, which further concentrates the alcohol effect. Keep these facts in mind the next time you are challenged to a drinking contest.
