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O ome men brag that they can handle alcohol better than women. Can there be some truth to that? Don and Yaël talk about that on this Moment of Science.  

D: If I were you, Yael, if I were a woman that is, I would reconsider that fourth drink      you just ordered. You don't want a hangover tomorrow.

Y: I take offense to that, Don. Are you implying that because I'm a woman I can't      handle my alcohol as well as any man can? That may be true for itty bitty petite      women, but I'm six feet tall, taller than most men, including you, Don. And I might      even weigh more than you too. I imagine that you're the one who needs to watch out      for a hangover.

D: Well, Yael, the average weight difference between women and men is one reason      why women tend to get intoxicated faster, but there's more. Women also tend to      have more fat and less muscle than men, even tall women. This is significant because      muscle tissue contains more water than fat does, and alcohol dissolves in water and      thus is diluted. With about ten percent more water in their bodies than women, men      can drink more alcohol than women before becoming intoxicated. In fact, studies      show that women suffer worse hangovers than men too. Men tend to experience      more sweating and vomiting as a result of drinking, but overall, women suffer more,      including dehydration, exhaustion, headaches, and nausea. With every drink, women      are reaching higher degrees of intoxication than their male counterparts and thus it      makes sense that they're reaching higher degrees of hangover too. More research is      needed though to determine for certain why women's hangovers are worse.

Y: Hmm. Maybe I'll order a pitcher of water with this last drink.

D: Good idea.  

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Last updated: 30 March 2004
URL: http://amos.indiana.edu/library/scripts/alcohol.html
Writer: Michelle Ross
Comments: amos @ indiana.edu
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