There been many studies relating the amount of alcohol consumed to the generation of adverse consequences. The differences in metabolism between men and women results in different definitions of moderate and heavy drinking and there are different medical consequences of number of drinks consumed between men and women. In the figure it can be seen that there is a slight protective effect in women under one drink a day but as women drink over two drinks a day there is an increased relative risk of all cause mortality. In men, the number of drinks consumed produces some protection under 2-3 drinks per day and does not produce increased relative risk of all cause mortality until the number is over three per day.
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Sex Differences in Alcohol Related Mortality.
Women have more increased risk of mortality than men as alcohol intake increases. At less than 1-2 drinks/day, compared to non-drinkers, women do not have an increased risk but over 1-2 drinks/day, they have increased risk. There may be some protective effect of less than 1 drink/day for women and less than 2 drinks/day for men. (estimated from data in a number of studies)
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CURRENT LESSON OBJECTIVES
- Why has alcohol been present for over 7,000 years despite its possible adverse effects?
- What countries have the highest and lowest prevalence of alcohol use?
- How does alcohol use compare to other drugs of abuse?
- How can religion effect alcohol use?
- How does alcohol rank as a preventable cause of death relative to other factors?
- What is the relationship between alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems?
- What's the relationship of the number of drinks per day and overall mortality?
- How do economic factors like advertising affect health costs in alcohol consumption?
- Describe the demographics of alcohol use.
- Lesson Summary
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