So what do we mean by moderation?

That is no more than one drink a day for women and one to two drinks a day for men. There is a down side to alcohol. Alcohol in excess is a major health liability to yourself and others – just not that 40% of automobile accidents are alcohol related. As one increases the daily intake of alcohol above 3 drinks a day, you increase your risk of cancers, especially of the throat, mouth and esophagus. 

You also increase your chances of developing an inflammation of the pancreas, called pancreatitis, as well as cirrhosis of the liver. Similarly, you can increase your risk of having hypertension and there is some concern about excessive alcohol not only causing fetal alcohol syndrome, but miscarriages. So the key thing for women to remember is that alcohol in moderation can be beneficial but clearly women should remember that they handle alcohol differently than men. A woman has a higher blood concentration of alcohol per drink than a man due in part to the way the alcohol is metabolized in your body and the fact that you have less body water content so the alcohol is more concentrated. So in summary, alcohol in moderation does have some benefits for women but you really do have to do it in moderation as excessive intake can increase your risk for certain diseases.