Men really CAN drink women under the table, but women can stomach more steak and sugary drinks…experts reveal how sex affects our body’s reaction to foods
Top nutrition experts highlight the different ways men and women process food, and have recommended dietary adjustments by gender.
Dietitians in Britain have outlined intriguing science showing that men and women should ideally eat different amounts of favorites such as steak, cheese and chocolate, for optimal hormonal and gut health.
“Differences between the sexes and how diet affects them can vary due to things like metabolism, sex hormones and body structures,” British-based dietitian Helen Bond said in a new report.
For example, studies show that women may be able to tolerate higher amounts of steak and cheese because the female sex hormone estrogen can blunt the harmful effects of excess fat.
“As we learn more, I think it will help us create nutritional recommendations that are tailored to the needs of men and women,” Bond said.
MEN CAN REALLY MAKE WOMEN DRINK MORE
Due to their body size and composition, men can digest alcohol more quickly than women, meaning it is absorbed more slowly into the bloodstream, resulting in a gradual path to intoxication.
In general, men can tolerate alcohol better, says scientist Emma Catterall told the Telegraph.
Men process alcohol more efficiently than women because they have a higher percentage of water compared to body fat, says Catterall, head of research at British charity Drinkaware.
The more water there is in your system, the dilute the alcohol will be. Additionally, people with higher amounts of fat won’t absorb as much booze, meaning it enters the bloodstream quickly.
She adds that because women tend to be smaller than men, their bodies have fewer enzymes to break down the alcohol, so women absorb it into their bloodstream more quickly. The more alcohol there is in the bloodstream, the drunker you will be.
Although both sexes are at risk for developing long-term health problems — such as cancer, heart disease, liver disease and mental health problems — the odds are higher for women, Catterall said.
She gave the example of liver disease: ‘The risk threshold is much lower in women and the chance is also greater that the disease will develop quickly.’
Yet more men suffer from alcohol-related diseases than women because they drink more often and more heavily. according to the NIH.
With these differences in mind, the US National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention recommends that women drink no more than seven drinks per week, and men no more than fourteen drinks per week.
…BUT WOMEN CAN ENJOY MORE COCA COLAS
Women have a lower risk of developing diabetes almost across the board
They may have an edge when it comes to alcohol, but men don’t handle sweet tooths as well as women, research shows.
Research shows that men are more prone to developing diabetes if they eat a diet high in sugar.
According to research, boys who drink sugary drinks have a greater risk of developing diabetes than girls who do long-term study of children in Massachusetts from Harvard.
Other lifestyle choices that can lead to diabetes, such as a sedentary lifestyle, affect men more than women, University of Missouri researchers found.
In addition, men are generally at a higher risk of developing diabetes than women, even if they consume the same amount of sugar and are of a lower weight, Professor Roy Taylor, a diabetes expert from the University of Newcastle, told The Telegraph.
WOMEN CAN EAT GREATER AMOUNTS OF FAT
Red meat contains a lot of fat, which men may feel more acutely than women
Women’s bodies are better able to handle large amounts of fatty foods, such as steak and cheese, some studies show.
When male and female mice were fed the same amount of high-fat food a 2014 studyAccording to Deborah Clegg, a clinical dietitian at Cedars-Sinai Research Institute who led the study, the female mice were better able to ward off harmful effects.
The brains of the male mice developed signs of inflammation in the brain, while the female animals did not.
A similar reaction Laboratory research has shown that this occurs in people with a chronic high-fat diet.
In Clegg’s study, the brains of female mice were not affected at all by the increased fat intake.
“It’s as if women’s brains have a chemical force field that stops the dangers of fats and sugars from causing harm,” she said.
Another 2018 study suggested that estrogen could have a protective effect on the way the body processes fat.
Women may have developed this miraculous trick to protect themselves during pregnancy, study author Djurdjica Coss said Medical news today.
In other words, it may be an evolutionary mechanism that helps women gain weight safely during pregnancy.
MEN GET GOODNESS FROM DARK CHOCOLATE
The cardiovascular benefits of dark chocolate have been shown especially in men
Studies have not linked many health benefits to milk chocolate.
But dark chocolate – which is lower in sugar and believed to contain disease-fighting antioxidants – has been linked to a range of benefits. Although the strongest effect is observed in men.
Researchers say the polyphenols in dark chocolate may help the body produce more nitric oxide, a substance that causes blood vessels to dilate and blood to flow more easily.
Researchers from University of Aberdeen determined this by measuring the participants’ blood before and after eating dark chocolate (which contained at least 70 percent cocoa). They found fewer clots in the men’s blood.
Blood clotting can be a major contributor to a range of heart problems heart attack Unpleasant heart attack.
Why men were more likely to experience the blood benefits of dark chocolate than women is still unclear, said study author Baukje de Roos.
‘It’s a bit of a mystery why this is so. It may have to do with hormones, but it’s something we’re still trying to understand.”
PASTA CAN GIVE SOME WOMEN SLEEPLESS NIGHTS
Refined carbohydrates may increase the risk of insomnia in older women
Although you need carbohydrates in your diet (from bread, pasta or other products), consuming a diet that contains too many of these products can have an effect on your health.
Specific research has been done on the effects of eating high-carb diets for women who have gone through menopause.
By studying 50,000 participants, researchers from Columbia University Medical Center found that processed foods increased the likelihood of women developing insomnia.
“Whole fruits contain sugar, but the fiber in them slows down the rate of absorption to help prevent spikes in blood sugar levels,” James Gangwisc, one of the study’s authors, explains in an article. University press release.
“This suggests that the dietary culprit causing the women’s insomnia was the highly processed foods that contain higher amounts of refined sugars that are not naturally found in food,” he said.