Females Harmed By Alcohol Faster Than Men

The results of a brain-scan study conducted by scientists in Germany show that females can become addicted to alcohol faster and suffer alcohol related brain damage more quickly than males. 158 people including 76 alcoholics and 82 healthy people, volunteered to have their brains scanned for the study, which was conducted at the University of Heidelberg. "Women have generally not been considered in brain-imaging studies, or samples have not been large enough to differentiate between women and men," said study author Karl Mann. "Conversely, male patients with alcohol dependence have historically been easier to recruit because the majority of alcoholic patients are male and the first evaluations of larger samples were carried out in soldiers." "Furthermore, study results were thought to be generally applicable to both genders," added Mann. "Yet gender differences in the development, course and consequences of alcohol dependence have to be considered in early diagnosis as this probably will lead to different therapeutic strategies." According to Deborah Condon of latest ebusiness news