Alcohol is a commonly consumed drink throughout the world, people go out and have drinks with friends, family etc. Many people will enjoy alcohol throughout their life, but many people do not understand why alcohol is not good for the system. Many know that it has lots of calories and can add to weight gain, which is a good place to start and information to know. Those who are looking for longevity, quality of life and performance, and overall health need to be aware of how alcohol will affect the system.
Many will exercise and burn calories so they can go out and drink those calories, that thought will always be there. People tend to look at the calorie formula of calories in vs calories out and there is way more to it than that.
Alcohol is a poison to the system, it will be metabolized into ethanol and that in the human body is detrimental to cells, it is toxic and creates reactive oxygen species in the cells that will harm other cells, alter and damage the DNA in the cells. This is what can lead to mutations and if in excess will lead to degeneration, inflammation, cell death and fat accumulation.
Performance
When it comes to performance alcohol has many effects on the system, it will decrease muscle protein synthesis by 25%, this will reduce the recovery process after a training session. It slows down enzymes and hormones from doing their job in the body. This will lead to decrease in overall hormones affecting the outcome of what your training goals want to be.
The body will metabolize alcohol and as this is happening it affects almost all systems and sites of the body as it travels through the blood, liver, brain, breath, the body wants to get rid of the toxins. Alcohol can be present in the blood for up to 12 hours post drinking.
Think about having a couple drinks post training session. This can affect the training session or game tomorrow, decrease power output, decrease hydration over the next 24 hrs, which will impact performance.
Alcohol and Weight Gain
Consumption of alcohol is greatly associated with weight gain, whether it is drinking ample amounts of calories consuming alcoholic drinks or pairing that with the food we eat when one gets drunk. Alcohol is empty calories, it does not provide the body with nutrients or energy to use, it is a toxin that the body wants to get rid of. Multiple drinks add up in calories and then the effects of alcohol makes the body hungry, the body searches for food.
Many times the food choices are not optimal, people will go for high fat foods, sweet foods, this leads to the next problem is breaking down the foods and storing it. The body wants to deal with and get rid of it as fast as possible, so it puts other metabolism processes on hold until it can deal with the problem at hand. This leads to foods consumed post drinking to be turned into fat and stored in the body, this is where people gain excess weight from drinking.
The end story is we all need to be aware of what alcohol does to the body, and understand that excess consumption can lead to many different problems and effects on the body. If you are a person looking to be healthy and maintain high levels of fitness, limiting alcohol is the go too, it does not provide anything good for the body.
Alcohol consumption at high rates leads to dysfunctions of the body and ultimately diseases. Limit the amount of alcohol in your diet as much as you can or choose a drink that does not have alcohol.
P.S.
We can learn from the extreme cases of people who have struggled with addiction and alcohol abuse. Take a listen to a Podcast Interview we did with Brice Hancock who owns and operates drug and alcohol addiction treatment centers in Denver, Colorado. Get inspired to take hold of your life or get the courage to speak you love who is struggling.
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References:
- El-Sayed MS, Ali N, El-Sayed Ali Z. Interaction between alcohol and exercise: physiological and haematological implications. Sports Med. 2005;35(3):257-69. doi: 10.2165/00007256-200535030-00005. PMID: 15730339.
- Leasure JL, Neighbors C, Henderson CE, Young CM. Exercise and Alcohol Consumption: What We Know, What We Need to Know, and Why it is Important. Front Psychiatry. 2015 Nov 2;6:156. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00156. PMID: 26578988; PMCID: PMC4629692.
- Rusyn, I., & Bataller, R. (2013). Alcohol and toxicity. Journal of hepatology, 59(2), 387–388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhep.2013.01.035
- Nsca.com. 2022. The Effects of Alcohol on Athletic Performance. [online] Available at: <https://www.nsca.com/education/articles/nsca-coach/the-effects-of-alcohol-on-athletic-performance2/> [Accessed 26 January 2022].