Alcohol and body composition is often a conversation of varied opinions. Some swear off alcohol to avoid gaining weight to keep the six-pack that they have worked so hard for while others go out with their gym crew after a workout. But is it possible to be a social drinker and maintain a healthy or lower body composition without affecting your overall health?
Ethanol, or drinking alcohol, contains calories and it needs to be considered when you are trying to change your body composition. Even though per gram, alcohol has the same thermic effect of food (or the increase in body temperature during metabolism) as protein. However, alcohol doesn’t have the satiety properties like protein and the other macronutrients. Also, the body does not want to store any alcohol or its by-products from metabolism and has no nutritional value. Because the body does not want it, it takes priority in its metabolism and will stop fat, carbohydrate, and protein breakdown to get rid of the alcohol in the system. Why does this priority happen? Acetate, one of the by-products of alcohol metabolism, is a toxin to the body, so the body tries to remove it as quickly as possible. As the chemical goes into the liver, small amounts of it are converted into fatty acids, which in turn lowers fat breakdown. However, something important to remember is that this amount is very small. Consumption of anything in too large amounts, whether its protein, carbohydrates, anything, will likely cause fat gain.
Alcohol has also been shown to increase food consumption. Indulging in alcohol before consuming a meal is increasing the brain’s pleasure centers which can cause over consumption of foods that you find appealing. Also, the body becomes unable to monitor food intake the next day if you had a late night out. This also now becomes an issue with feeling like you ‘have to’ work off what you put in from the night before, which can cause unhealthy exercise habits.
Where does health fit into all of this? There has been research that has shown that light to moderate alcohol consumption, which is 1 drink per day for females and 1-3 drinks for males, has been related to lower risks in heart disease, can improve insulin sensitivity, and lower blood lipids. Even though we know that these relationships exist, it is still not clear why or how the mechanisms work. However, there are other ways to improve these health markers outside of drinking. Things like nutrition and exercise have better health effects and are more understood in terms of improving these health markers than alcohol consumption. Moderate and light drinking is not completely risk free. Individuals who drink, even lightly, have a higher risk of some cancers.
Increasing drinking to higher levels can have some major health effects. It can increase your risks for certain cancers, pancreatitis, sudden death if you already have cardiovascular disease. Heavy drinkers also have a higher risk of damaging the heart muscles, stroke, high blood pressure, and liver disease. Heavy drinking can also affect your mental health because it has been shown to increase risk of suicide.
Coming back to body composition, this was not used as a marker of change in those previously mentioned studies, so how does body composition actually change related to drinking. Hormonal responses to alcohol, mainly testosterone, show mixed results on the effects of consuming alcohol after a workout. Most results do show a negligible amount of decreased testosterone in both men and women. Alcohol post-workout has no effect on testosterone levels with a small prolonged cortisol effect (which increases protein breakdown). However, alcohol consumption in chronic populations (considered binge drinkers, who drink 4 or more drinks at least one day a month, and clinical alcoholics) have been shown to reduce the rate of muscle protein synthesis.
Can you drink and achieve the body you want?
Yes, but consider the health effects of your choices. And if you currently do not drink, there is no reason for you to start if you don’t want to. It is all about calories in the long run if you decide to drink. Think of it this way:
5 ounce glass of red/white wine = 100 calories
1.5 ounce glass of scotch/vodka = 104 calories
12 ounce glass of light beer = 108 calories
2.2 ounce glass of martini = 135 calories
12 ounce glass of draft beer = 144 calories
Now, take those numbers and multiply it by 2 or 3 if you drink more than one a day. Now, multiple that number by 365 for the number of days in a year. Minimum, that is an additional 109,500 calories per year. It takes 3,600 calories to burn one pound of fat. Additionally, think of the financials involved with drinking as well.
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