Researchers have identified femininity as a contributing factor to alcohol addiction among young women.

A new study by scientists has revealed that the hormone estrogen may be linked to a tendency for binge drinking in women. Researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine noted that estrogen could enhance women's propensity to consume large amounts of alcohol in a short time frame, as reported by HealthDay.

Estrogen is primarily a female hormone responsible for regulating the reproductive system, menstrual cycle, and the development of female traits such as breasts. It also affects mood, bone health, and other functions of our body.

The study, published in the journal Nature Communications, pointed to an important biological factor that may explain gender differences in drinking behavior, which is known to lead to serious health issues. Kristen Pleil, an associate professor of pharmacology and senior researcher, stated: "Estrogen has such a strong influence on many types of behavior, particularly concerning women. Therefore, it makes perfect sense that it might also affect alcohol consumption."

During experiments, female laboratory mice with elevated estrogen levels consumed more alcohol than those with lower levels. This behavior correlated with increased activity in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) — an area associated with alcohol addiction. The research demonstrated that estrogen rapidly affects neurons in the BNST, which was an unexpected finding since hormones typically exert their effects through long-term genetic mechanisms.

Pleil remarked: "We believe this is the first instance where someone has shown that estrogen produced by the ovaries can utilize such a rapid mechanism to control behavior." This discovery could pave the way for potential treatments for alcoholism by targeting estrogen's neural pathways, the authors suggest.

The study also noted that during the pandemic, there was a significant increase in the number of women consuming alcohol, as well as a rise in hospital visits related to alcoholism among women compared to men. These findings align with broader trends observed in health data, indicating a need for targeted interventions that consider physiological differences in alcohol consumption patterns between genders.

Although the research primarily focused on female mice, scientists plan to investigate how these findings extend to male biology. In males, estrogen is derived from testosterone, and its influence on binge drinking continues to intrigue researchers. The data obtained may contribute to further refining strategies for addressing alcohol dependence across different genders, which is a major issue worldwide.

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