Final answer:
A heavier person typically has a lower blood alcohol level due to a greater amount of water in their body, which dilutes the consumed alcohol, resulting in a lower BAC.
Step-by-step explanation:
A heavier person will have a lower blood alcohol level (BAC) due to a greater amount of water in their body. Water, which makes up about 50-70% of the adult body weight, varies inversely with fat content and is distributed throughout the body. It dilutes the alcohol consumed, leading to a lower BAC compared to someone with less body water percentage.
Alcohol is broken down in the human body at an approximate rate of 3.3 mmol/L (15 mg/dL) per hour. Individual metabolism rates can vary, but generally, the larger quantity of water in a heavier person's body mass helps distribute the alcohol more, potentially leading to lower concentrations of alcohol in the blood. However, many factors can influence this, including age, sex, health conditions, and the rate at which their body metabolizes alcohol.