Alcohol metabolism in women and hormonal changes.

酒精通常更令人不快，对女性造成的组织损伤比男性更快。目前的研究旨在找出乙醛，酒精的第一个代谢物，是否在这些行为中发挥关键作用。健康的日本女性受试者在月经周期的两个不同阶段口服酒精（剂量：0.1g/kg）。这些数据与白种人的数据进行了比较。血液中乙醛水平受醛脱氢酶2基因型的影响，而不受乙醇脱氢酶2基因型的影响。观察到乙醛水平升高与高雌激素期之间的关联。雌激素相关的乙醛升高被认为是解释酒精不良反应的性别差异的关键因素。

Alcohol is more often unpleasant and causes tissue damage more rapidly in women than men. The present study was designed to find out whether acetaldehyde, the first metabolite of alcohol, could play a crucial role in these actions. Alcohol (dose : 0.1g/kg) was orally taken by healthy Jpanese female subjects in two different stages of menstrual cycle. These data were compared with those of Caucasians.Blood acetaldehyde levels were influenced by the genotype of aldehyde dehydrogenase 2, but not alcohol dehydrogenase 2. An association between elevated acetaldehyde levels and high-estrogen phases was observed. Estrogen related acetaldehyde elevation is suggested to be the key factor explaining the gender differences regarding the adverse effects of alcohol.