It affects gene expression differently in men and women
Excessive alcohol consumption affects male and female brains differently, and specifically, in women it is rather the genes involved in hormonal signaling and immune function that are altered while in men it is the expression genes related to nerve signaling that is most affected. These findings presented in the journal Frontiers in Genetics have significant implications for the treatment of alcohol use disorders, which should be tailored specifically to men and women.
Gene expression in the nucleus accumbens, the area of the brain involved in addiction, is therefore affected differently by excessive alcohol consumption in men and women i.e. alcohol activates different pathways in each sex, says Deborah Finn, professor of neuroscience at Oregon Health & Science University. Identifying the molecular pathways and networks that can be influenced by repeated excessive consumption can help develop new targeted treatments.
The researchers here are studying responses to alcohol in the brains of
male and female mice specifically by analyzing gene expression in the nucleus accumbens. Gene expression being the process by which genes are activated to produce proteins for use by the cell. They thus analyze the expression of 384 genes already documented as being involved in addiction and mood disorders. Research shows that:
of a total of 106 genes regulated by excessive alcohol consumption, only 14 are regulated in both males and females, and thus constitute common targets;
however, only 4 of these 14 genes are similarly impacted by alcohol in both sexes.
hormonal signaling and immune function are the pathways primarily activated in the female, while nerve signaling is the central target of excessive alcohol consumption in the male.
Alcohol impacts the brains of men and women very differently:
these results suggest that excessive alcohol consumption indeed exerts a very different effect in men and women, with different biological pathways activated in each gender. The researchers conclude that treatment for alcohol dependence should therefore be targeted.
Moreover, in mice, the pharmacological manipulation of a pathway in animals of both sexes, which appears to be affected only by excessive consumption in males, does not contribute to reducing excessive consumption in females.
Does alcohol increase estrogen or testosterone?
Continued, heavy consumption of alcohol can lead to elevated levels of the female sex hormone estrogen, testosterone converted to estrogen, and increased levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which can destroy testosterone.
Why is alcohol abuse more common in males?
Men are almost twice as likely to binge drink as women, which prompts the question of exactly why men are seemingly more prone to alcohol abuse. A 2010 study published in Biological Psychiatry suggests that alcohol consumption causes a greater dopamine release in men than in women.
Can males drink more alcohol than females?
At any given dose, our blood levels of alcohol will be higher than a man's, even taking into account differences in body weight. As a result, one drink for a woman is roughly equivalent to two drinks for a man.
Does alcohol increase testosterone in females?
The total testosterone levels were significantly higher after alcohol intake (0.5 g/kg) than after placebo at 45 min and 90 min from the start of drinking among both OC- and OC+ subjects. This effect was also seen in the free testosterone fraction.
Is alcohol tolerance genetic?
Is Alcohol Tolerance Inherited? Alcohol tolerance means that equal amounts of alcohol lead to lesser effects over time, leading to a need for higher quantities of alcohol to feel the same desired effects. While it may seem like there is a genetic predisposition for alcohol tolerance, tolerance is not inherited.
Does gender affect blood alcohol concentration?
Because alcohol is dispersed in body water, women reach higher peak BACs than men after consuming equivalent doses of alcohol, even when doses are adjusted for body weight (Frezza et al.
How does alcohol affect male hormones?
Studies have shown that alcohol reduces testosterone , which can lead to loss of libido – or the desire to have sex – and reduce sperm quantity and quality.
Do males have higher alcohol tolerance?
Thus men, being larger than women on average, will typically have a higher alcohol tolerance. The alcohol tolerance is also connected with activity of alcohol dehydrogenases (a group of enzymes responsible for the breakdown of alcohol) in the liver, and in the bloodstream.
How does alcohol affect females?
For women, alcohol can put you at greater risk of breast cancer and negatively affect fertility. It can also increase some side-effects of the menopause. So, whatever age you are, it's important to keep an eye on your alcohol consumption and drink within the guidelines to keep risks from alcohol at a low level.
What gender is most affected by alcoholism?
Alcohol is Associated with Injury, Violence, and Other Harms
Men have higher rates of alcohol-related hospitalizations than women. ...
More than three-quarters of deaths from excessive drinking are among males, totaling more than 97,000 deaths each year in the U.S.
Does alcohol affect female hormones?
Mild-to-moderate alcohol use affects female reproductive function at several stages of life. It has been shown to have a detrimental effect on puberty, to disrupt normal menstrual cycling and reproductive function, and to alter hormonal levels in postmenopausal women.
Does alcohol cause gene mutation?
Alcohol can cause irreversible genetic damage to the body's reserve of stem cells, according to a study that helps explain the link between drinking and cancer.
How does alcohol affect chromosome?
Alcohol has no damaging effects on human chromosomes in vitro. The chromosomes of alcoholics, however, show a significant elevation of aberrations. Alcohol inhibits cellular and cell free RNA synthesis. One possible reason for the mutagenic activity of alcohol in vivo may be an inhibition of cellular repair.
What happens to DNA when alcohol?
What does the alcohol do? When molecules are insoluble (unable to be dissolved), they clump together and become visible. DNA is not soluble in alcohol; therefore, it makes the DNA strands clump together and become visible to the naked eye.
Why do males drink more alcohol than females?
Put simply, men's bodies are more tolerant of higher amounts of alcohol. This is because: Men tend to have lower body fat ratios than women. Since alcohol is stored in body fat, men need to drink more in order to feel the substance's effects.
Does gender affect intoxication?
Gender. Males and females react to alcohol differently. Women tend to be smaller than men, and get intoxicated faster. Women have less alcohol dehydrogenase, the enzyme that metabolizes alcohol, so alcohol remains in the bloodstream longer (in fact, men have 40% more than women).
How does intoxication effect differences in males and females?
Women are often smaller than men, and thus have a smaller volume of blood, so consuming the same amount of alcohol as a larger man will result in a higher BAC. However, even if a man and a woman are the same weight and drink the same amount of alcohol, the woman will still become more intoxicated.
How does alcohol affect gene expression?
The stimulation of VTA dopamine neurons by alcohol increases the expression of genes involved in the synthesis of synaptic proteins in target regions of the VTA. In short, these results suggest that alcohol can produce changes in the brain reward system that can further increase the rewarding effects of alcohol."
Why does alcohol affect a woman's body differently from a man's body?
In general, women have less body water than men of similar body weight, so that women achieve higher concentrations of alcohol in the blood after drinking equivalent amounts of alcohol (5,6). In addition, women appear to eliminate alcohol from the blood faster than men.
Does alcohol affect males and females differently?
Alcohol Affects Women Differently than Men
After drinking the same amount of alcohol, women tend to have higher blood alcohol levels than men, and the immediate effects of alcohol usually occur more quickly and last longer in women than men.
