The risk of alcohol intake in men and women: All may not be equal

The concentration of alcohol in the blood and other tissues is the result of its intake route, usually oral, its distribution, and its rate of elimination. Although the enzymes primarily responsible for alcohol metabolism, the alcohol dehydrogenases, are present in many tissues, the liver has traditionally been considered the principal site of alcohol metabolism. In this issue of the Journal, Frezza et al.¹ report that alcohol dehydrogenase in the gastric mucosa may contribute substantially to alcohol metabolism, that this effect varies with sex, and that the gastric metabolism of alcohol is decreased in women and men with chronic alcoholism.