However, scientists have also found that the way the stomach breaks down alcohol before it enters the bloodstream may be a major factor. Enzymes in the stomach act to break down a proportion of the alcohol taken in by a person. This system is designed to prevent an excessive rise in blood alcohol levels. However, these enzymes are less active in women than in men. This means that a greater proportion of alcohol is likely to end up in their bloodstream.
Alcoholism also depresses the activity of the enzymes.
This means that alcoholic woman are unable to break down any alcohol in their stomach. As a consequence, the level of alcohol in their blood is the same after a drink as it would be if they had been injected intravenously. The research was carried out by a team from the Alcohol Research and Treatment Center at the Bronx VA Medical Center in New York. They found that while women responded to beer in the same way as men, they were less able to break down wine or spirits in the stomach. Now more women, especially young women, are drinking much more they could be at risk.