Effects of alcohol and obesity in young women: Women are drinking at risky levels

Effects of alcohol and obesity in young women is a growing health concern to many health professionals. The kind of food we eat is not helping the situation and this should be the starting point.

The vulnerability of women to the effects of alcohol and obesity is something we cannot burry our heads on and pretend that nothing is happening. Research has it that women are the weaker parties when it comes to the outcome of the health conditions that are associated with alcohol abuse and obesity, According to the most recent National Drug Strategy Household Survey (2010), 29.8% of women over the age of 14 years, had consumed alcohol at risky levels (defined more than 4 standard drinks in one sitting) at least once in the previous year. This finding therefore introduces our topic of discussion which is the effects of alcohol and obesity in young women and generally the female gender. According to the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the able leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury the female gender is less advantage when it comes to substance abuse and weight related concerns. This fact has been confirmed by various studies including the one we have just mentioned above. Now let us look at specific risks women will be involved in when they consume alcohol beyond the limit.

Effects of alcohol and obesity in young women: Women have specific risks when consuming alcohol

The very first thing is that women tend to weigh less than men and have inadequate water in their bodies to dilute the alcohol consumed. This therefore, exposes a woman’s internal organs to more alcohol and to more of the toxic byproducts that result when the body breaks down alcohol. That’s explains why under normal circumstances women generally reach intoxication quicker, and may become addicted to the abuse much sooner, and thereby may develop alcohol-related problems more quickly as compared to men with similar drinking patterns. In view of this women are more likely than men to be affected by health problems including:

• Alcoholic liver disease;
• Alcohol-induced brain damage;
• Cancer, including breast cancer; and
• Alcohol-related heart disease.

Effects of alcohol and obesity in young women: Safety risks

Doctor Akoury sounds the warning that it is very important for women to note that heavy drinking increases their risk of becoming victims of violence and sexual assault, including rape. This can be attributed to environmental factors (heavy drinking tends to occur in contexts where there are other people who are also drinking heavily); cognitive impairments (through alcohol reducing a person’s ability to evaluate risks effectively); and, motor impairments (through alcohol reducing a person’s physical ability to resist attack effectively).

Effects of alcohol and obesity in young women: Risks while pregnant or breastfeeding

Drinking alcohol while pregnant can negatively impact on the baby’s developing brain and motor skills development and lead to Fetal Alcohol Spectrum. Disorders which are lifelong disabilities and women should take this seriously. At the moment there is no known safe level of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and breastfeeding what we have are just some recommended guidelines which may not be scientifically authenticated:

• For women who are pregnant or planning a pregnancy avoiding drinking completely is considered the safest option.
• In the same way for women who are breastfeeding, avoiding drinking is the safest option.

Effects of alcohol and obesity in young women: Alcohol consumption may also contribute to overweight and obesity

Alcohol adds calories to your diet. Alcohol has no nutrients yet has a high energy value, second only to fat which is the most energy-dense macronutrient. It is also a common occurrence that alcohol tends to increase appetite and encourage poor eating habits adding yet more empty calories into your diet. According to research there is a link between alcohol consumption and weight gain. Associations between the two are heavily influenced by a number of factors including: patterns and levels of drinking, gender, body weight, diet and genes, although the exact nature of these interactions are yet to be fully understood says doctor Akoury. With this information the question that all of us would want answered should be what is known about this situation?

Amount matters – Heavy drinkers (described in various studies as anywhere between two and four alcoholic drinks per day) are at higher risk of obesity than moderate drinkers.

Patterns of drinking matter – Heavy, but less frequent drinkers (binge drinkers) seem to be at higher risk of obesity than moderate but frequent drinkers.

Low carb does not equal healthier

‘Low carb’ beers and wines are becoming more widely available in the market and it may be tempting to switch to these varieties in order to reduce your caloric intake. You need to be aware, however, that while these low carb drinks are lower in carbohydrate than regular varieties, the alcohol and kilojoule content is often very similar to other types of beer and wine.

Effects of alcohol and obesity in young women: Things to consider if you choose to drink alcohol

Even though it may not be advisable to take alcohol, but if you choose to drink it is very important that you take note of the following:

• Healthy adults should drink no more than two standard drinks on any day to reduce the lifetime risk of harm from alcohol-related disease or injury. The lifetime risk of death from alcohol-related disease more than triples when consumption increases from two to three standard drinks a day.
• For any one occasion of drinking (an occasion being defined as a period of time at which the blood alcohol level does not return to zero), no more than four standard drinks should be consumed in order to reduce the risk of incurring alcohol-related injury from that occasion. Bear in mind that each drinking occasion also contributes to the lifetime risk of alcohol-related health problems.

• Alcohol is a significant contributor to your daily kilojoule intake. The recommended daily kilojoule intake varies for individuals and depends on a number of factors such as gender, weight and your usual amount of physical activity. On average, a man requires 10,500kJ (2,500 calories) daily and a woman requires 8,400kJ (2,000 calories) daily to maintain their weight.
• When drinking alcohol, take care that you are not robbing yourself of other essential nutrients. One very important nutrient that is often ‘replaced’ by alcohol is water. Even though alcohol is a liquid, it is also a strong diuretic and can increase fluid loss from the body therefore it is recommendable that as an adult you take at least eight glasses of water daily.

Finally dealing with the effects of alcohol and obesity in young women is not to be done in isolation. Like any other condition, the involvement to the experts is very important. And like I had said before, you can schedule for an appointment with doctor Akoury today for the commencement of your recovery treatment process.

Effects of alcohol and obesity in young women: Women are drinking at risky levels