MORE men are admitted to hospital with drink-related problems — but women are more vulnerable to health problems caused by alcohol, says liver nurse Sandra Crompton.

The nurse, who is part of the Royal Bolton Hospital’s alcohol team, said: “Women can’t drink like men because women are smaller on average so there’s less of them to absorb the alcohol.

“Secondly, women have on average 10 per cent more fat than men, hence the feminine curves.

“This means there is less body fluid to dilute alcohol so it travels around women’s bodies in a more concentrated form and causes more harm.

“Lastly, women’s livers produce less of the substance the body uses to break alcohol down.

This means women not only get drunk quicker but the effects last longer.”

Mrs Crompton said people admitted to the hospital start to drink for a variety of reasons, including stress, financial problems, relationship difficulties, pain relief, replacement therapy instead of medication, bereavement and peer pressure.

The majority of patients seen by Mrs Crompton are malnourished as a knock on effect of drinking calorie-rich alcohol, which makes people feel full.

Mrs Crompton said: “These calories though have no nutritional value — they are just sugar.

“As soon as they stop drinking the body craves the calories and their appetite soon returns.”

Alcohol is said to prevent vitamins and nutrients from being metabolised.

The alcohol team focus on nutrition as part of the treatment process.

Mrs Cromptom said: “We generally see two men for every one woman, this ratio has not really changed in recent years.

“Regardless of the recession, drinking habits have not really changed.

“The alcohol takes priority and quite often takes priority over food and other essentials.”