Heavy drinking may be more hazardous for men as compared to women, says study

Binge drinking as we all know can lead to serious consequences, but it turns out that alcohol consumption might may be more hazardous for men as compared to women.

A new study presented at the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, the brain cells of men and women may be affected differently by alcohol use.

The team of researchers worked with a small group of young men and women between the ages of 23 and 28 years who indulged in heaving drinking for a decade, and compared them with another group of young men and women with zero alcohol consumption.

According to Outi Kaarre from University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital, Finland, the team found more changes in brain electrical activity in males than in females, which was a surprise, as they expected it would be the other way around. The research implied that male brain electrical functioning is changed more than female brains with long-term alcohol use.

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"There are two types of GABA receptors, A and B. Long-term alcohol use affects neurotransmission through both types in males, but only one type, GABA-A, is affected in females", Kaarre added.

"We know from animal studies that GABA-A receptor activity seems to affect drinking patterns, whereas GABA-B receptors seem to be involved in overall desire for alcohol. It has been suggested that women and men may respond differently to alcohol. Our work offers a possible mechanism to these differences", Kaarre concluded.