1 00:00:02,566 --> 00:00:05,000 AMNA NAWAZ: In the last two decades, more and more Americans have died from drinking-related causes, 2 00:00:07,066 --> 00:00:10,700 but a new study shows alcohol-related deaths are rising faster among women than men. 3 00:00:11,866 --> 00:00:13,366 Laura Barron-Lopez takes a closer look. 4 00:00:13,366 --> 00:00:16,833 LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Amna, deaths from excessive drinking spiked 5 00:00:16,833 --> 00:00:18,933 during the pandemic, especially among women. 6 00:00:18,933 --> 00:00:23,933 Though more men than women die overall from alcohol-related causes, the gap is shrinking. 7 00:00:25,766 --> 00:00:28,366 A study published in "The Journal of the American Medical Association" found that, 8 00:00:28,366 --> 00:00:33,366 from 2018 to 2020, alcohol-related deaths increased by 14.7 percent per year for women, 9 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:40,566 compared to 12.5 percent increase per year for men. And from 2012 to 2020, 10 00:00:42,233 --> 00:00:47,166 those deaths rose 6.7 percent per year among women 65 and older. 11 00:00:49,133 --> 00:00:52,233 For more on the larger impact. I'm joined by Dr. Paula Cook. She's a physician who 12 00:00:52,233 --> 00:00:56,366 specializes in addiction medicine and hosts the podcast "The Addiction Files." 13 00:00:56,366 --> 00:00:58,833 Dr. Cook, thanks so much for joining us. 14 00:00:58,833 --> 00:01:02,333 Were you surprised by the study's finding that 15 00:01:02,333 --> 00:01:05,866 there's an increase occurring in alcohol-related deaths for women? 16 00:01:05,866 --> 00:01:08,000 DR. PAULA COOK, "The Addiction Files": 17 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:12,000 Unfortunately, I was not surprised and us in the medical community were not surprised, because 18 00:01:13,966 --> 00:01:17,300 we have been seeing these trends of increased alcohol use amongst women for quite some time. 19 00:01:18,933 --> 00:01:21,033 And particularly, over the last few years, we have seen increased 20 00:01:21,033 --> 00:01:26,033 usage. So it makes sense that the death -- related mortality rates have been going up. 21 00:01:27,466 --> 00:01:30,166 LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: The study didn't provide a specific reason 22 00:01:30,166 --> 00:01:35,066 for this faster increase. What do you think is contributing to this? 23 00:01:35,066 --> 00:01:37,133 DR. PAULA COOK: Well, I think there's several reasons. 24 00:01:37,133 --> 00:01:42,000 Alcohol use has been normalized amongst women. And so we're seeing the gap narrowing amongst 25 00:01:44,033 --> 00:01:47,400 all age groups. Especially, younger women and teenage women are now increasing their use of 26 00:01:49,333 --> 00:01:53,333 alcohol far more than they used to. Marketing is targeting women for their alcohol use. 27 00:01:55,300 --> 00:01:58,766 They're doing these this in very clever ways, and it's being effective. Women 28 00:01:58,766 --> 00:02:03,600 are experiencing more stress, I think, and stress-related drinking as a result. And 29 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:08,600 then I think the effects of social media has had its effect on women increasing drinking as well. 30 00:02:11,066 --> 00:02:14,300 LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: And the study specifically highlights the rise among women 65 and older. 31 00:02:16,833 --> 00:02:20,666 What could be causing that rise within that specific population? 32 00:02:20,666 --> 00:02:24,233 DR. PAULA COOK: Well, we're seeing increased substance use some alcohol 33 00:02:24,233 --> 00:02:28,233 use in the Baby Boomers in general. As they age, they're using more 34 00:02:28,233 --> 00:02:33,233 And this group of women, particularly, are subjected to the same effects that we were 35 00:02:33,233 --> 00:02:38,233 just talking about, the marketing effects, the stress effects. And as they leave the work force, 36 00:02:40,266 --> 00:02:43,500 there's interesting effects of women in terms of increased rates of anxiety, depression, 37 00:02:43,500 --> 00:02:48,433 et cetera, and more likely to reach to alcohol to kind of mitigate some of the effects of that. 38 00:02:48,433 --> 00:02:53,433 LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: There's been some studies in the past that have told the public that 39 00:02:53,433 --> 00:02:58,400 one glass of red wine a night is OK. But how much drinking is too much drinking? 40 00:03:00,766 --> 00:03:05,766 Because some of the dietary guidelines say that one glass a night for a woman is OK, 41 00:03:06,900 --> 00:03:08,500 two for a man is OK. What do you say? 42 00:03:08,500 --> 00:03:11,400 DR. PAULA COOK: Well, this has been very confusing. 43 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:16,400 But, lately, the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society have come out 44 00:03:18,233 --> 00:03:21,333 with really clear guidelines saying that really no alcohol is safe. So, 45 00:03:21,333 --> 00:03:26,033 before, when we used to say maybe a glass of wine at night was helpful for your health, 46 00:03:26,033 --> 00:03:31,033 and your heart especially, now alcohol has more risk than benefit. 47 00:03:33,066 --> 00:03:36,233 And so even though moderate drinking may be OK for some people, one drink for women or less, 48 00:03:38,766 --> 00:03:43,633 two drinks or less for men, there are many people in the population who shouldn't have alcohol at 49 00:03:45,633 --> 00:03:48,900 all. And the health benefits of alcohol have really been negated in the research. 50 00:03:48,900 --> 00:03:51,900 LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: What happens, physiologically speaking, 51 00:03:51,900 --> 00:03:55,766 when women consume alcohol versus when men consume it? 52 00:03:55,766 --> 00:03:58,100 DR. PAULA COOK: Well, there's several differences. 53 00:03:58,100 --> 00:04:02,200 I mean, women, both chemically and physiologically in their bodies, 54 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:07,200 handle alcohol differently. So women have a higher body fat percentage than men, who have more water 55 00:04:09,500 --> 00:04:14,233 content. So alcohol concentrates more quickly and at a higher concentration in women than in men. 56 00:04:16,233 --> 00:04:20,833 So, obviously, the effects are quicker, which means the effects on the organs are more. Women 57 00:04:23,133 --> 00:04:27,300 have hormonal fluctuations, which can increase the target organ effect, compared to men. And 58 00:04:31,500 --> 00:04:36,500 also women have negative effects on their organs at a quicker rate than men do. And that could be 59 00:04:38,566 --> 00:04:42,133 due to decreased amount of enzyme in their gut, so they don't metabolize alcohol as quickly. 60 00:04:44,100 --> 00:04:46,900 And they're just more sensitive to the negative effects. 61 00:04:46,900 --> 00:04:50,866 LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Doctor, how often do you talk to patients 62 00:04:50,866 --> 00:04:55,866 who may not realize that the health consequences that they're suffering 63 00:04:57,700 --> 00:05:00,900 from are related to drinking? And what do you think physicians or the public 64 00:05:02,866 --> 00:05:06,966 could do to better educate women and men about their alcohol consumption? 65 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:11,566 DR. PAULA COOK: I think this is actually quite common. I think people come in with 66 00:05:11,566 --> 00:05:15,933 complaints into primary care or they have high blood pressure, they have anxiety, 67 00:05:15,933 --> 00:05:20,200 maybe they can't sleep very well at night, or they have more serious health 68 00:05:20,200 --> 00:05:25,200 problems like breast cancer or other kinds of cancer, heart disease, cognitive decline. 69 00:05:27,133 --> 00:05:30,733 And these problems are directly correlated to alcohol use, more so than the obvious ones, 70 00:05:32,633 --> 00:05:36,733 like liver disease and gastrointestinal problems. So physicians and other health 71 00:05:38,400 --> 00:05:41,733 care providers should always have alcohol on their list of possible 72 00:05:41,733 --> 00:05:45,766 contributors to health problems, including mental health problems. 73 00:05:45,766 --> 00:05:49,800 And the public should be aware of how alcohol could be playing into 74 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:51,833 their physical health and their mental health, 75 00:05:51,833 --> 00:05:56,833 and maybe look at the guidelines of where they fit in terms of their alcohol use. 76 00:05:58,433 --> 00:06:00,400 LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Dr. Paula Cook, thank you so much for your time. 77 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:01,800 DR. PAULA COOK: You're welcome.