Syracuse (WSYR-TV) - A new study is raising the alarm about the dangers of alcohol, especially for women.
According to the study, alcohol can be even deadlier than cigarettes.
Although we tend to hear more about the dangers of tobacco, a study in the journal “Alcoholism” might make us take new stock of our vices.
Researchers followed more 149 alcoholics for 14 years. On average, they died 20 years earlier than non-alcoholics, making alcohol even deadlier than smoking.
Death rates for male alcoholics were 1.9 times higher than for non-alcoholics.
But for women, that number jumped to 4.6 times higher.
The authors say the surprising disparity is created because women respond to toxins in alcohol more than men do and they develop alcohol-related diseases much faster than men.
The study also indicated that getting treatment for alcoholism did not seem to provide protection against pre-mature death.
