WEBVTT 00:02.566 --> 00:05.000 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% AMNA NAWAZ: In the last two decades, more and more Americans have died from drinking-related causes, 00:07.066 --> 00:10.700 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% but a new study shows alcohol-related deaths are rising faster among women than men. 00:11.866 --> 00:13.366 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Laura Barron-Lopez takes a closer look. 00:13.366 --> 00:16.833 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Amna, deaths from excessive drinking spiked 00:16.833 --> 00:18.933 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% during the pandemic, especially among women. 00:18.933 --> 00:23.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Though more men than women die overall from alcohol-related causes, the gap is shrinking. 00:25.766 --> 00:28.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% A study published in "The Journal of the American Medical Association" found that, 00:28.366 --> 00:33.366 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% from 2018 to 2020, alcohol-related deaths increased by 14.7 percent per year for women, 00:35.600 --> 00:40.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% compared to 12.5 percent increase per year for men. And from 2012 to 2020, 00:42.233 --> 00:47.166 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% those deaths rose 6.7 percent per year among women 65 and older. 00:49.133 --> 00:52.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% For more on the larger impact. I'm joined by Dr. Paula Cook. She's a physician who 00:52.233 --> 00:56.366 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% specializes in addiction medicine and hosts the podcast "The Addiction Files." 00:56.366 --> 00:58.833 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Dr. Cook, thanks so much for joining us. 00:58.833 --> 01:02.333 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% Were you surprised by the study's finding that 01:02.333 --> 01:05.866 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% there's an increase occurring in alcohol-related deaths for women? 01:05.866 --> 01:08.000 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% DR. PAULA COOK, "The Addiction Files": 01:08.000 --> 01:12.000 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% Unfortunately, I was not surprised and us in the medical community were not surprised, because 01:13.966 --> 01:17.300 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% we have been seeing these trends of increased alcohol use amongst women for quite some time. 01:18.933 --> 01:21.033 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% And particularly, over the last few years, we have seen increased 01:21.033 --> 01:26.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% usage. So it makes sense that the death -- related mortality rates have been going up. 01:27.466 --> 01:30.166 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: The study didn't provide a specific reason 01:30.166 --> 01:35.066 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% for this faster increase. What do you think is contributing to this? 01:35.066 --> 01:37.133 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% DR. PAULA COOK: Well, I think there's several reasons. 01:37.133 --> 01:42.000 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Alcohol use has been normalized amongst women. And so we're seeing the gap narrowing amongst 01:44.033 --> 01:47.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% all age groups. Especially, younger women and teenage women are now increasing their use of 01:49.333 --> 01:53.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% alcohol far more than they used to. Marketing is targeting women for their alcohol use. 01:55.300 --> 01:58.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% They're doing these this in very clever ways, and it's being effective. Women 01:58.766 --> 02:03.600 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% are experiencing more stress, I think, and stress-related drinking as a result. And 02:03.600 --> 02:08.600 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% then I think the effects of social media has had its effect on women increasing drinking as well. 02:11.066 --> 02:14.300 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: And the study specifically highlights the rise among women 65 and older. 02:16.833 --> 02:20.666 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% What could be causing that rise within that specific population? 02:20.666 --> 02:24.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% DR. PAULA COOK: Well, we're seeing increased substance use some alcohol 02:24.233 --> 02:28.233 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% use in the Baby Boomers in general. As they age, they're using more 02:28.233 --> 02:33.233 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And this group of women, particularly, are subjected to the same effects that we were 02:33.233 --> 02:38.233 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% just talking about, the marketing effects, the stress effects. And as they leave the work force, 02:40.266 --> 02:43.500 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% there's interesting effects of women in terms of increased rates of anxiety, depression, 02:43.500 --> 02:48.433 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% et cetera, and more likely to reach to alcohol to kind of mitigate some of the effects of that. 02:48.433 --> 02:53.433 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: There's been some studies in the past that have told the public that 02:53.433 --> 02:58.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% one glass of red wine a night is OK. But how much drinking is too much drinking? 03:00.766 --> 03:05.766 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% Because some of the dietary guidelines say that one glass a night for a woman is OK, 03:06.900 --> 03:08.500 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% two for a man is OK. What do you say? 03:08.500 --> 03:11.400 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% DR. PAULA COOK: Well, this has been very confusing. 03:11.400 --> 03:16.400 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% But, lately, the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society have come out 03:18.233 --> 03:21.333 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% with really clear guidelines saying that really no alcohol is safe. So, 03:21.333 --> 03:26.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% before, when we used to say maybe a glass of wine at night was helpful for your health, 03:26.033 --> 03:31.033 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% and your heart especially, now alcohol has more risk than benefit. 03:33.066 --> 03:36.233 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% And so even though moderate drinking may be OK for some people, one drink for women or less, 03:38.766 --> 03:43.633 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% two drinks or less for men, there are many people in the population who shouldn't have alcohol at 03:45.633 --> 03:48.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% all. And the health benefits of alcohol have really been negated in the research. 03:48.900 --> 03:51.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: What happens, physiologically speaking, 03:51.900 --> 03:55.766 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% when women consume alcohol versus when men consume it? 03:55.766 --> 03:58.100 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% DR. PAULA COOK: Well, there's several differences. 03:58.100 --> 04:02.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% I mean, women, both chemically and physiologically in their bodies, 04:02.200 --> 04:07.200 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% handle alcohol differently. So women have a higher body fat percentage than men, who have more water 04:09.500 --> 04:14.233 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% content. So alcohol concentrates more quickly and at a higher concentration in women than in men. 04:16.233 --> 04:20.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% So, obviously, the effects are quicker, which means the effects on the organs are more. Women 04:23.133 --> 04:27.300 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% have hormonal fluctuations, which can increase the target organ effect, compared to men. And 04:31.500 --> 04:36.500 align:left position:10% line:71% size:80% also women have negative effects on their organs at a quicker rate than men do. And that could be 04:38.566 --> 04:42.133 align:left position:20% line:71% size:70% due to decreased amount of enzyme in their gut, so they don't metabolize alcohol as quickly. 04:44.100 --> 04:46.900 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% And they're just more sensitive to the negative effects. 04:46.900 --> 04:50.866 align:left position:10% line:83% size:80% LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Doctor, how often do you talk to patients 04:50.866 --> 04:55.866 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% who may not realize that the health consequences that they're suffering 04:57.700 --> 05:00.900 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% from are related to drinking? And what do you think physicians or the public 05:02.866 --> 05:06.966 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% could do to better educate women and men about their alcohol consumption? 05:09.000 --> 05:11.566 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% DR. PAULA COOK: I think this is actually quite common. I think people come in with 05:11.566 --> 05:15.933 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% complaints into primary care or they have high blood pressure, they have anxiety, 05:15.933 --> 05:20.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% maybe they can't sleep very well at night, or they have more serious health 05:20.200 --> 05:25.200 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% problems like breast cancer or other kinds of cancer, heart disease, cognitive decline. 05:27.133 --> 05:30.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% And these problems are directly correlated to alcohol use, more so than the obvious ones, 05:32.633 --> 05:36.733 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% like liver disease and gastrointestinal problems. So physicians and other health 05:38.400 --> 05:41.733 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% care providers should always have alcohol on their list of possible 05:41.733 --> 05:45.766 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% contributors to health problems, including mental health problems. 05:45.766 --> 05:49.800 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% And the public should be aware of how alcohol could be playing into 05:49.800 --> 05:51.833 align:left position:20% line:83% size:70% their physical health and their mental health, 05:51.833 --> 05:56.833 align:left position:10% line:77% size:80% and maybe look at the guidelines of where they fit in terms of their alcohol use. 05:58.433 --> 06:00.400 align:left position:20% line:77% size:70% LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Dr. Paula Cook, thank you so much for your time. 06:00.400 --> 06:01.800 align:left position:10% line:89% size:80% DR. PAULA COOK: You're welcome.