
A new study led by scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine has revealed that the hormone estrogen plays a key role in binge drinking behavior in females.
The research shows that high levels of circulating estrogen significantly increase alcohol consumption, particularly within the first 30 minutes after alcohol becomes available—a behavior referred to as “front-loading.”
Published in Nature Communications, this study provides insight into how biological factors contribute to sex differences in alcohol consumption and offers potential pathways for new treatments for alcohol use disorder.
Most research on alcohol use has traditionally focused on males, leaving gaps in understanding the unique factors driving drinking behaviors in females. This study helps address that imbalance.
According to senior author Dr. Kristen Pleil, females are not only prone to binge drinking but are also more vulnerable to the harmful effects of alcohol.
For example, during the pandemic lockdown, women significantly increased their heavy drinking, which resulted in more alcohol-related health issues compared to men.
The researchers investigated why females are more likely to binge drink under certain conditions, focusing on estrogen’s influence.
Previous work by Dr. Pleil’s team identified a specific group of neurons in the brain’s bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) that is more excitable in females than in males.
This neural activity was linked to binge drinking, but the question remained—what makes these neurons more active in females?
The study found that estrogen plays a powerful role. The researchers tracked hormone levels in female mice during their reproductive cycles and discovered that binge drinking behaviors peaked when estrogen levels were high.
When alcohol was introduced, the neurons in the BNST became more active, and this effect was significantly amplified in high-estrogen states. The heightened neural activity drove the mice to consume more alcohol, especially in the first 30 minutes.
What surprised the researchers was how quickly estrogen acted. Hormones like estrogen typically influence behavior by binding to receptors inside cells, triggering changes in gene activity—a process that takes hours.
However, in this study, estrogen acted within minutes, suggesting a different mechanism. The researchers found that estrogen binds to receptors on the surface of neurons, directly enhancing communication between cells and rapidly increasing alcohol consumption.
This discovery highlights a previously unknown mechanism of action for estrogen during normal hormone cycles. The team identified the specific receptor responsible for this effect and noted that similar neural pathways exist in males.
In males, estrogen in the brain is derived from the conversion of testosterone rather than ovarian production. The researchers are now exploring whether this system also influences drinking behaviors in males.
The findings could lead to new treatments for alcohol use disorder. One potential approach involves targeting the enzyme that synthesizes estrogen.
An existing FDA-approved drug used to treat estrogen-sensitive cancers could be repurposed to reduce alcohol consumption during high-estrogen phases.
Combining such a drug with treatments that modulate BNST neuron activity may offer a more targeted way to address binge drinking in females.
While the study provides groundbreaking insights, it has limitations. It was conducted in animal models, so further research is needed to confirm whether these mechanisms are the same in humans.
Additionally, the focus on estrogen leaves other hormonal and environmental influences on drinking behavior unexplored.
Despite these gaps, this study offers a promising step forward in understanding the biological factors behind binge drinking and opens the door to more personalized treatments for alcohol use disorder.
If you care about alcoholism, please read studies that your age may decide whether alcohol is good or bad for you, and people over 40 need to prevent dangerous alcohol/drug interactions.
For more information about alcohol, please see recent studies about moderate alcohol drinking linked to high blood pressure, and results showing this drug combo shows promise for treating alcoholism.
The research findings can be found in Nature Communications.
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