I've been a personal trainer for 27 years; I've always known that if my clients wanted to lose weight they would have to abstain from alcohol for at least six weeks or until they hit their weight loss goals.
This article isn't meant to stop you drinking alcohol altogether, we all know that drinking alcohol can boost your confidence, help you feel more relaxed, and turn you into a damned good dancer!
Paul Salter, MS, RD works in the field of clinical, sports, community, and foodservice nutrition. After reading a lot of his work, I thought you might find this article interesting, helpful and inspire you to set goals this Winter.
Despite the fun, you can have with "liquid courage," it's important to know that excessive long-term usage can result in several severe health consequences like liver damage or addiction. Moreover, if you're worried at all about the size of your gut, alcohol's seven calories per gramme and impact on fat storage can wreak havoc on body composition.
ALCOHOL A SHOT OF SCIENCE, DRINK UP SOME KNOWLEDGE AND LEARN WHAT ALCOHOL MEANS FOR YOU GOALS!
As far as your body can tell, alcohol is a toxin. Think of your body's food digestion, absorption, and storage system as a big multi-button dashboard. On this metabolic console is a large, red "pause" button. When you consume alcohol, your body pushes that pause button. As a result, nutrient regulation—what you consume and how your body uses it for energy—is put on hold as the body shifts its priority to processing the alcohol.
Once it's consumed, alcohol (ethanol to you science peeps) is broken down into acetaldehyde and something called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH).2 You'd probably never guess it, but it's this very process that sparks unfavourable changes in nutrient storage and body composition.
As the diagram shows, the end product of alcohol breakdown is acetyl-CoA, which is a molecule that's heavily involved in fatty acid synthesis, or the creation of fat molecules. An excessive build-up of acetyl-CoA can lead to increased formation of fatty acids, which eventually leads to increased fat storage.
Additionally, an increase in NADH (produced as a result of alcohol breakdown) signals to the body that there's a lot of energy (calories) available. The body naturally wants to store that energy, which means that an increase in NADH also favours fatty acid formation and storage. Over time, these molecules create a change in your body to prioritise fatty acid storage.
STUDIES FOR SUPPORT
Now, I don't want to be a killjoy. Trust me; I enjoy a tasty beverage just as much as the next guy. But we shouldn't ignore some of the data floating around out there. For example, in a groundbreaking study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers observed the effects of alcohol ingestion on carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism.
The researchers assessed fatty acid and glucose usage over a four-hour time span. To do it, they infused the subjects with simultaneous delivery of both glucose and insulin through an IV. Researchers then collected blood samples at 0, 30, and every 15 minutes thereafter to determine how the subjects were using fuel.
Two hours into the experiment, the glucose infusion was replaced with an alcohol infusion equivalent to two standard drinks. Upon the alcohol infusion, rates of fat oxidation dropped 87 percent! So, instead of using fat for fuel, the subjects' bodies began using alcohol for energy. Rates of fat oxidation remained depressed for more than four hours after the alcohol infusion, which is bad news for anyone who wants to burn fat.
Although there is a huge variation in the speed at which each body can break down and rid itself of alcohol, it's probably safe to assume that even a small amount of alcohol will stay in your body long enough to put a dent in fat breakdown.
The same researchers also infused subjects with alcohol and glucose at the same time. Since many of us like to have a few carbs alongside our drinks, this next bit of information is particularly telling: The results demonstrated that simultaneous infusion of alcohol and glucose reduced fat-oxidation rates to nearly 0 milligrammes per minute!
In practical terms, consuming chips and salsa with your beer during the big game is dropping your fat-oxidation rates to almost zero. If you pair carb-heavy snacks and alcohol often, you're stuck with a lot of excess calories that basically aren't being used. That means they're almost certainly going to be stored as fat. And, as even the poorest eighth-grade student can tell you, too much fat storage is no
good.
THE TAKEAWAY
Even small amounts of alcohol ingestion will temporarily pause fat breakdown. Research also suggests that consuming alcohol causes overall net decreases in fatty acid breakdown and an increase in storage. If alcohol is abused consistently for a longer period, this increased storage can turn your uphill fat-loss battle into an unconquerable feat.
Although alcohol in moderation has been shown to provide some health benefits, like reduced blood pressure, there's just no way you'll achieve your dream physique if you're consistently drinking and eating too much. The best way to balance your life with your physique goals is to keep your alcohol consumption to 1-2 drinks no more than twice a week and refrain from snacking with wild abandon.
MAX'S MESSAGE
I thank Paul for his article because he has made it easier to understand the effects of alcohol on the body when it comes to fat breakdown. Paul's also confirmed what I've always known, and that is you can't drink alcohol and lose body fat. I believe it's better to abstain from alcohol for a period, a couple of times a year. Pick your battles, birthdays, anniversaries, footy grand final, wife's birthday, Xmas, the new year the list goes on.
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