Why do women have higher BACs after consuming the same amount of alcohol as men?

Women tend to have higher blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) than men after consuming the same amount of alcohol due to physiological differences between the sexes. One significant factor is the smaller amount of body water that women typically have compared to men. Alcohol is water-soluble, meaning it gets distributed in the water content of the body. Since women generally have a lower percentage of body water, the alcohol becomes more concentrated in their bloodstream when consumed. This leads to a higher BAC in women after drinking the same volume of alcohol as men, who have more body water to dilute the alcohol.

While women's body fat percentage is often higher than men's, and metabolism rates can vary, the immediate effect on BAC is most significantly influenced by body water content.