The number of 2006 deaths from excessive alcohol intake represented twice the amount of binge-drinking deaths in Britain in 1991 and were particularly present among middle-age drinkers, The Independent reported Saturday.

Statistics show that in 2006, women ages 35 to 54 saw their death rates as a result of excessive alcohol intake rise from 7.2 to 14.8 per 100,000 women.

For men in the same age range, a lengthy history of binge drinking led to a marked increase of 13.4 to 31.1 deaths for every 100,000 men.

While the increase among male drinkers was alarming, Professor Ian Gilmore told the British newspaper the increased death rate among women was particularly troubling.

"The new figures are deeply worrying as women seem to be more susceptible to the damaging physical effects of alcohol," he told The Independent. "This may be due to their smaller size and different fat distribution, but there are almost certainly other factors at play, possibly genetic and biochemical difference."