(Daily360.com) – As the battle of the sexes rages on and large numbers of women pursue what they believe is equality with men a new statistic shows them gaining ground in an area that is likely unwanted. More women are dying from alcohol consumption than ever before. While men still lead this category by a large margin women are dying at a faster rate than men in recent years. Studies show women drinking to excess in larger numbers now than at any time studied. This would correlate with the rise in cirrhosis and other alcohol-related issues doctors are diagnosing in women. Over the last twenty years studies from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show alcohol-related deaths in women have risen by 14.7% compared to a 12.5% rise for men.
Some experts offer the theory that society’s larger acceptance of women heavily drinking has also facilitated the rise in mortality. They say the overall attitude evolution within society regarding women and alcohol has seen a steady increase since the 1900’s and they speculate they will catch up to men before long. Doctors are warning women to be careful as their bodies will likely develop disease faster than men’s bodies will. NYU Langone Health associate professor in the division of gastroenterology and liver disease Dr. Lisa Ganjhu says women don’t realize they can drink less alcohol than men and still develop liver disease faster.
Dr. Ganjhu cites one patient as an example of a larger emerging problem, she says when telling a female patient that she’d developed pancreatitis from alcohol consumption the patient astoundingly asked her “when she could start drinking again.” Professor of epidemiology at Columbia University, Katherine Keyes points to the media which is selling alcohol consumption to women as an aspect of a ‘luxury lifestyle’ as well as a stress relieving enjoyment. She also says women at midlife makeup the largest portion of this growing segment. Among that group those with high incomes and high status make up the greatest percentage.
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