Menstrual Cycle Influences on Alcohol Consumption among Blacks

Abstract

Alcohol consumption patterns among 39 Black men, normally cycling women, and women taking oral contracep tives were examined over a 30-day self-monitoring period to determine the influence of the menstrual cycle on drinking behavior. Previous animal and human data suggest premen strual increases and mid-cycle decreases in alcohol con sumption, but contradictory reports of an absence of men strual cycle effects have emerged more recently. Decreased drinking among women taking oral contraceptives also has been reported. No studies examining Black subject samples could be isolated, and indications of racial differences in metabolic rates suggest that generalizations about Black women from studies using predominantly White subjects may be unjustified. No overall significant differences were found in alcohol consumption patterns or amounts of alcohol consumed for the three groups across the menstrual cycle. The effects of the sex hormones and the possibility of interactions between menstrual cycle symptomatology and drinking patterns are discussed along with implications and recommendations for future research in this area.