Study Suggests Estrogen May Trigger Binge Drinking

A woman’s binge drinking might be influenced by her hormones.

Women now account for more alcohol-related hospital visits than men.

The female hormone estrogen appears to promote binge drinking behaviors, according to a new mouse study published in Nature Communications, Dennis Thompson reported for HealthDay News.

The study revealed that estrogen drives women to "pre-game," or consume large quantities of alcohol within the first half-hour of availability.

This finding provides a possible explanation for sex-based differences in binge drinking, said senior researcher Kristen Pleil, an assistant professor of pharmacology at Weill Cornell Medicine.

"Estrogen has such powerful effects on so many behaviors, particularly in females," Pleil stated in a university news release. "It makes sense that it would also influence drinking."

During the pandemic lockdown, women reportedly increased heavy alcohol consumption at a higher rate than men. Additionally, women now account for more alcohol-related hospital visits than men.

In the study, researchers tracked estrogen levels in female lab mice while providing them with alcohol. They observed that mice consumed more alcohol on days when their estrogen levels were high compared to days when levels were low.

The researchers further linked this binge-drinking behavior to heightened activity in the brain region known as the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), which has been previously associated with drinking behaviors.