Alcohol Effects On Women Essay
High levels of alcohol consumption among women have been on the rise in this century. Most of the reasons that lead to this are the desire to minimize on their stress levels, the high cost of living, family issues, and just for entertainment, especially among teenagers. The perceived long term effects of such excessive alcohol consumption among women range from identified possible benefits in line with their health for extremely low alcohol consumption levels to severe and extreme detrimental effects that occur in the cases of chronic alcohol abuse. A strong correlation has always existed between the ‘high levels’ of women alcohol consumption and their increased risks of having complications with their cardiovascular system, endocrine system as well as their immune system. Alcohol Effects On Women Essay.
Endocrine System
The Pituitary–gonadal Axis
Excessive consumption of alcohol is commonly deemed to vehemently down-regulate a woman’s pituitary–gonadal axis, which eventually results in massive reduction in serum levels that the body may have. Others affected include the renowned luteinizing hormone, the follicle stimulating hormone, and eventually the gonadal atrophy. In case a decrease in one’s serum levels of their sex hormones is experienced, such changes may eventually lead to little libido levels and, hence, infertility. In most women, this pituitary–gonadal dysfunction mainly leads to many menstrual irregularities. Hyperoestrogenisation always occurs in all alcoholic liver diseases and is clinically manifested by any spider naevi which occurs in both men and their women (Charness & Perides, 2011).
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The HPA Axis
Glucose MetabolismThis one is mainly activated and aggravated by any heavy consumption, misuse, and even long-term use of alcohol. The main physiological, as well as psychological, stress that is always induced by their consumption of alcohol and eventual withdrawal may clearly transiently bring up activities associated with HPA (Abel & Sokol, 2012). However, this responsiveness is deemed temporarily dampened in case one withdraws from the consumption of alcohol. As any alcohol-dependent woman cycles through many periods of intoxication, excessive abuse and withdrawal, such activities lead to the development of HPA cycles into hyper- and hypo-activity. Alcohol Effects On Women Essay. Any high level of alcohol-induced pattern that comes about in cycles and any deranged periods of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), as well as cortisol, may eventually induce various states of pathological extents. These levels may elicit the development of hyper-cortisolism, which eventually exacerbates hypertension, osteoporosis, impaired growth and diabetes mellitus in women (Charness & Perides, 2011).
The view that alcohol consumption may elicit glucose intolerance, commonly known as pre-diabetes, is extremely frequent among many chronic alcohol misusers. The rate, according to many researchers, settles at 40% of all alcohol-dependent women. Alcohol and its ever first and only metabolite acetaldehyde are known to both inhibit an glucose-induced levels of insulin secretion in a given dose-dependent manner and relation. Alcohol metabolites in women have also been credited to greatly increase the basal glucagon secretion. This is a case that happens mostly among women. These high levels of alcohol consumption have also been associated with the peripheral resistance of insulin in women. There are many other detrimental effects of this consumption of alcohol on women which base on glucose metabolism. They are mainly mediated by any alcohol-induced increases and levels in corticosteroids (Brennan & Lyttle, 2012).
Hypoglycaemia, a common effect of alcohol consumption in women, is associated with any depleted hepatic and glycogen stores. The inhibition of that hepatic gluconeogenesis and also deranged glucocorticoid levels and secretion may affect women and lead them to the presentation with dire hypoglycaemia. Women suffering from this disease are usually malnourished and are prone to many episodes of the ketoacidosis which, if clearly compounded with starvation and vomiting, can lead to death.
Adipose Tissue
The white adipose tissue is an extreme highly active tissue of the metabolic system and also an important endocrine organ that produces many adipokines. Alcohol Effects On Women Essay. It is adversely affected and influenced by any long-term alcohol misuse by women. This may affect the normal functioning of the body. Women may be affected by this fact, which will eventually lead to their loss of immunity against diseases. Any subsequent alterations that may exist in the women’s serum levels of leptin, adiponectin, and resistin are always evident in vast arrays of women endocrine abnormalities (Brennan & Lyttle, 2012).
Effects on the Immune System
Women are always under severe exposure to germs and bacteria in their daily chores and endeavors. Luckily for them, all their immune systems are well placed to tackle any diseases and eventualities. Excessive consumption of alcohol always weakens the women’s immune system, making their body an easier target for any disease or virus. It is necessary that all women understand the effect excessive alcohol consumption has on their immune system in order to allow them to make decisions concerning the rates of alcohol consumption.
Alcohol consumption clearly suppresses both the women’s innate as well as their adaptive immune systems. This means that it has adverse effects on the lives of women. Unless they take great care of themselves, this addicition will interfere with their healthful living. Any chronic alcohol consumption greatly reduces the ability of women’s white blood cells to engulf at a fast rate and to swallow any harmful bacteria that may pose a challenge to them. Those women who consume a lot of alcohol have to be aware of the fact that it also disrupts their bodies’ production of cytokines, which causes the latter to either start producing too much or even not enough of the needed chemical messengers. There is need for a balance between the amounts of cytokines in the body as an abundance of them can severely damage tissues. On the other hand, any lack of the cytokines can leave a woman open to maany infections that may affect them (Keshavarzian & Iber, 2011). Alcohol Effects On Women Essay.
In addition, chronic alcohol use is also known to suppress the good development of the T-cells and may impair the perceived ability of any NK cells to fully attack tumor cells. This may have a severe impact on the health of women. The reduction in body functioning makes women more vulnerable to any bacteria and viruses; thus, the immune system becomes less capable of destroying cancerous cells that one may have (Abel & Sokol, 2012).
With such a compromised women’s immune system, chronic drinkers are always liable to contract many diseases easier, like pneumonia and tuberculosis, than those women who are not perennial alcohol consumers. Research has proven that alcohol can damage women’s immune system and eventually cause them to have increased susceptibility to easily contracting HIV infection (Leon & McCambridge, 2012). This virus tends to develop faster in many chronic consumers who had already contracted the virus. Excessive consumption of alcohol on a given single occasion can also compromise one’s immune system. If a woman reaches intoxication levels of alcohol, this can eventually slow her body’s ability to continue producing the necessary cytokines that always ward off infections in the body by causing many inflammations. Without those inflammatory responses, her body’s ability to continue defending itself against bacteria will definitely be significantly reduced (Leon & McCambridge, 2012).
Cardiovascular System
In this particular system, alcohol may have both positive as well as negative impacts on the lives of women and people in general. However, the extent to which the consumption will affect one’s body depends on the level of alcohol consumption. The time of intake, history of drinking, physical status and genetics are the main determinants of the alcohol consumption’s influence on women (Abel & Sokol, 2012). A woman who has had no history of any cardiovascular disease may survive any attack if she takes a small amount of alcohol. Alcohol modifies the cardiovascular function by interfering with the modulation of all blood concentrations of the high and low density, commonly known as lipoproteins. If one has extremely low or even moderate consumption levels of alcohol, this helps to balance and maintain the optimal concentration of lipoproteins. Alcohol Effects On Women Essay.The final implication is diminishing all the chances that the arterial plaque in its formation stage may have; such circumstances usually lead to coronary artery disease (Abel & Sokol, 2012).
Women who consume a lot of alcohol may end up having severe diseases and issues relating to their health. Perennial alcohol consumers risk their immune system whereby the white blood cells are affected and, thus, their bodies become vulnerable to any virus and other communicable diseases. Their cardiovascular system cannot be overlooked as their history with alcohol comes in handy in assessing any further complications they may develop in their quest to satisfy their desire of consuming alcohol. The women’s endocrine system is also put at great risk if one does not observe her levels of consumption.
Women and Alcohol Alcohol can be a health issue for women just like smoking and drugs. It can be a serious disease and an addiction. Alcohol is a disease that affects numerous numbers of people from all over the world from different ages. It has the power to destroy lives break up families and to kill many victims of it as well. It is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States behind tobacco and it kills about 100, 000 deaths a year. The effects of alcohol are stronger in women than in men and women’s bodies react differently to alcohol than men’s bodies. Alcohol has many risk factors, consequences against women, although there are many treatment centers that are available that can help women who are alcoholics. There has been an increase in the number of women who drink alcohol as well as in the amount of alcohol they consume since the past years. There has been a rise in heavy drinking particularly among young women has been reported from a number of countries. “It is estimated that of the 15.1 million alcohol-abusing or alcohol-dependent individuals in the United States, approximately 4.6 million (nearly one-third) are women.” (Alcohol Alert).Not just older women drink but also young girls start drinking at a young age before they are legally allowed to. For example, younger women report higher rates of drinking-related problems than do older women. The most common age for drinking with women is between the ages of 26 and 34 and for those women who are divorced or separated. There are many young girls who attend parties and binge drink. They drink more than five drinks to try to get drunk in a short period of time, because they feel that is the only way they will feel confident and have fun. There are many women who are so irresponsible and are addicted to alcohol and others become addicted because of personal problems in their lives. There are also women who drink while they are pregnant and that is very irresponsible and can have serious harmful consequences on the unborn child. Alcohol Effects On Women Essay. No amount of alcohol consumption is safe during pregnancy. The child can be born with fetal alcohol syndrome which is a set of birth defects that includes growth and mental impairment mentioned in Alcohol a Women’s Health Issue. Women start abusing alcohol when they feel really stressed, sad, lonely, or when going through a divorce. Also Women whose husbands have alcohol problems are more likely to drink themselves and women who have been sexually abused are more likely to drink to excess.
There are many risk factors when consuming too much alcohol that woman may not be aware of. Also women metabolize alcohol differently than men. Research shows that, “women start to have alcohol-related problems at lower drinking levels than men do. One reason is that, on average, women weigh less than men. In addition, alcohol disperses in body water, and pound for pound, women have less water in their bodies than men do. So after a man and woman of the same weight drink the same amount of alcohol, the woman’s blood alcohol concentration will tend to be higher, putting her at greater risk for harm.”(Women and alcohol). That said women get drunk much faster than men do because women and men have different bodies which each metabolize alcohol differently. Hormone levels in women may also make them more at risk to alcohol’s effects. Women may be at risk of alcohol problems if they have been sexually abused in their childhood, or started drinking before age 15. “Results of a large nationwide survey show that more than 40 percent of persons who initiated drinking before age 15 were diagnosed as alcohol dependent at some point in their lives.” (Alcohol Alert) Alcohol abuse and alcoholism are serious for
