 Wine and beer have some health benefits, but alcohol can also have detrimental effects on weight loss and muscle growth. Other than empty calories and reduced will power, alcohol also effects your hormones, your quality of sleep, protein synthesis (needed to build muscle) and fat burning. So can you drink alcohol and still lose weight? *All nutritional and fitness info must be discussed with your doctor before any changes to diet or exercise regime are implemented. Ethyl alcohol (the type we drink) There are four types of alcohol: methyl alcohol (antifreeze, solvent, fuel), isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol), butyl alcohol (solvents) and ethyl alcohol, which is the kind of alcohol we drink. Ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, is the intoxicating agent found in beer, wine and liquor, and is produced by the fermentation of sugars (fruits such as grapes), yeast and starches (including grains like barely and wheat). One alcoholic beverages equals fourteen grams of ethanol, which equates to:
How does the body process alcohol? Once the alcohol hits the stomach it is absorbed into the bloodstream, and from there it enters the liver to be processed. The liver then produces enzymes that break down the alcohol molecules; these molecules are converted into energy which the body can then use, essentially burning it off. The enzyme used to convert the alcohol to energy is the same enzyme used to convert glucose (food) to energy – nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, NAD – and while NAD is being used for alcohol it is not being used for glucose (more on this later, and how it effects fat loss). A normal healthy liver can process approximately 1 alcoholic drink per hour, any excess above this then flows to your heart. Once it enters your heart, alcohol essentially relaxes your heart, reducing the force of the heart contractions and lowering your blood pressure. From the lungs the alcohol travels to your lungs where you begin to breathe it out; at the same time it continues to travel through your bloodstream and starts to ooze out of your pores as perspiration. Once alcohol reaches your brain it acts as a depressant and sedative, slowing the transmission of nerve cell impulses that control your thoughts and actions. It also slows the brain's production of antidiuretic hormones, meaning that urine production is increased, resulting in loss of liquid, vitamins and minerals. Benefits of alcohol consumption As the body processes alcohol, some of its effects are positive. Moderate alcohol consumption temporarily relaxes muscles and blood vessels, lowering blood pressure, often producing a more relaxed mood. The expanded blood vessels, combined with a reduction in the stickiness of blood platelets also reduce the risk of heart disease, and alcohol can even increase the amount of HDL (“good cholesterol”). Red wine is often credited for the biggest health benefits, however studies are inconclusive as to whether red wine is actually more beneficial than any other alcoholic beverage. This publication highlights the findings of many studies, and states: “Although the effects of alcoholic beverage choice on CAD (Coronary Artery Disease) risk remain controversial, most researchers concluded that available evidence does not support a major role for beverage choice” It does mention one study that suggests that wine drinkers have the lowest risk of CAD (vs beer and spirits), however it does also state: “Interestingly, wine drinkers who participated in this study reported a more healthy diet than did drinkers of beer or spirits”, suggesting that the wine may not be the only factor contributing to the lower risk of CAD. Alcohol and weight loss Extra calories The most obvious obstacle for losing weight while drinking is the extra calories; although some drinks are full of sugar and calories it is possible to chose beverages that are relatively low in calories, as long as you only dink one or two. However, as losing weight requires a calorie deficit any deficit you might have created with less food and more exercise will quickly disappear with as little as just a few drinks. Unfortunately, our willpower also tends to disappear after a few drinks, and while a nice glass of cold white wine might go nicely with a light fish and salad meal, more often than not we do not stop at one glass and a salad. In fact, researchers have discovered a link between alcohol and increased hunger, stating: “Drinking an apéritif to stimulate appetite has been mentioned as a human practice since at least the 5th century AD1. Modern studies confirm that alcohol intake acutely stimulates eating, and correlates with obesity2,3,4,5,6. Due to the rising incidence of obesity and its co-morbidities, the link between alcohol intake and overeating is becoming a recognized clinical concern2,3,4. Popular explanations for alcohol-induced overeating include an alcohol-induced loss of self-control, leading to a disregard for societal constraints on eating” The study also investigated the biological reasons that people tend to over eat while drinking, looking at how ethanol alcohol affects the body, brain, and actions of mice. The mice were given around one and a half to two bottles of wine over a three-day period; the alcohol fired up certain neurons, called AgRP, located in the hypothalamus, which not only increased appetite, but also decreased metabolism and energy levels: “Our study clearly shows that the main area of the brain responsible for eating (the hypothalamus and its AgRP neurons) is directly affected and excited by ethanol, and that mice respond very strongly to its exposure by overeating for several hours afterward,” This helps explain why after a few drinks we might start getting the munchies or craving chicken wings, which will of course push the evening calorie count way up. And then there is the morning after drinking when we might not feel like a nice yogurt parfait for breakfast, and instead break out the bacon and hash browns; even if we are not hungover, our food choices might lean towards the carb and fat laden comfort foods due to decreased energy (keep reading to see how alcohol affects sleep and hunger!). Metabolism While the extra calories consumed - either via the beverage itself or via eating extra calories - are obviously a hinderance to weight loss, it is the alcohol’s affect on your metabolism that is an even bigger obstacle. Your body uses the fuel we give it for energy, either in the form of food (carbohydrates) or by using your stored fat, however studies show that even small amounts of alcohol have a large impact on fat metabolism. In this study, eight men were given two drinks of vodka and lemonade separated by 30 minutes. Each drink contained just under 90 calories. Fat metabolism was measured before and after consumption of the drink: “For several hours after drinking the vodka, whole body lipid oxidation (a measure of how much fat your body is burning) dropped by 73%.” In the body’s quest for fuel, it will use whichever source is easiest; breaking food down into glucose, and converting stored fat to energy are both long processes that require a lot of energy, however converting alcohol to energy is easier. All three of these fuels have to be broken down into glucose and then into acetate, and acetate is formed from alcohol in just a few steps. Once acetate levels rise the body will burn the acetate preferentially; fat oxidization is halted, and any glucose ingested is not burned off, rather it is stored as additional fat. So in this study, even though the men only consumed two drinks, and only around 180 calories, the alcohol had a much greater effect than simply the calories consumed. Their blood levels of acetate after drinking the vodka were 2.5 times higher than normal, putting the brakes on fat loss. Sleep We are all familiar with the notion of a “night-cap” – an alcoholic beverage consumed with the intention of preparing us for sleep and to help us fall asleep faster. On the surface this seems like a good idea, however alcohol actually disrupts and reduces the quality of your sleep. When we first start drinking alcohol acts as a stimulant, often causing us to become more talkative and less inhibited, however as the body processes the alcohol it starts to act as a depressant and a sedative. As our body functions start to slow we become drowsy, and after a few drinks we fall asleep faster and deeper for the first half of the night. In fact, this review of 27 published studies reported that alcohol reduces the time it takes to fall asleep and increases the amount of deep sleep during the first half of the night, however, this is offset by increased sleep disturbances in the second half of the night. In particular, the delayed onset, and overall amount of REM sleep is cited as the cause for less restful sleep. Another reason for disturbed sleep is the rebound effect; as the blood alcohol content (BAC) drops back to normal and the sedative effect of the alcohol wears off, it can often leaving us feeling restless and awake. As the alcohol is processed the body fights the sedation, and then once the alcohol is eliminated the body stubbornly continues to adjust, ultimately overcompensating and resulting in sleep disruption. Alcohol can also cause night sweats that disrupt your sleep. Ethanol is a chemical substance that can cause vasodilation (the widening of your blood vessel), and when blood vessels close to the skin enlarge, the skin becomes warm. In order to maintain an optimum body temperature, your sweat glands kick into action, letting heat escape in the form of perspiration, increasing the chances of sleep disturbances. With all these possibilities of sleep disturbances (I personally experience all of them if I drink!) your chances of a restful night of sleep are fairly slim. This lack of sleep will affect your hormone levels, directly influencing your food choices the next day: how much food you eat, what kind of food you eat, as well as how much of it you will store as fat. Leptin and ghrelin (our hunger and satiety hormones) are disrupted by sleep, causing increased hunger and cravings for high carbohydrate foods, while increased cortisol results in a sleep-deprived reduction in insulin sensitivity, causing more of the carbs than normal to be stored as fat. (Read more about sleep, hormones and fat storage). This study on weight loss states: "If your goal is to lose fat, skipping sleep is like poking sticks in your bicycle wheels," said study director Plamen Penev, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago. "Cutting back on sleep, a behavior that is ubiquitous in modern society, appears to compromise efforts to lose fat through dieting. In our study it reduced fat loss by 55 percent." And unfortunately for women, alcohol seems to disrupt women’s sleep even more than men; as women metabolize alcohol more quickly than men the sedative properties of alcohol wear off faster, causing women to feel the second, more disturbed part of their sleep more quickly. This study found that : “women objectively had fewer hours of sleep, woke more frequently and for more minutes during the night, and had more disrupted sleep than men.” No matter if you are a woman or a man, lack of sleep is definitely going to make it harder for you to reach your weight loss goals. Testosterone As we’ve seen, alcohol can alter your hormones, and this includes testosterone. As the alcohol is being processed by the liver, it uses the enzyme NAD (as seen above), which is also the same enzyme used to produce testosterone. Alcohol metabolism will tap into the NAD reserve inside the liver as well as in the testes, and as this reserve decreases, so does the production of testosterone. Many studies have shown a link between testosterone levels and body fat; the higher the testosterone levels, the leaner subjects were, and the lower the testosterone levels, the more body fat they had. All subjects were within normal testosterone ranges, and decreasing testosterone showed a dramatic increase in fat mass (as much as 36%). Research has shown that testosterone directly inhibits the creation of fat cells and that low testosterone is a contributing factor to obesity. Muscle building Alcohol also has an impact on building muscle, and while not everyone is training to compete in a body building competition, unfortunately as we age we lose muscle, and if we are not trying to build muscle, we are losing it. This loss of muscle has an impact on everything in our lives, from loss of functionality and ease of daily tasks, to negatively impacting our metabolism (read more about increasing your metabolism). Muscle repair and growth post workout So how does alcohol affect our efforts to retain, and hopefully build muscle? There have been many studies to determine exactly that, and they all point to the fact that it depends upon the amount of alcohol consumed. One of the most in depth studies from 2014 put volunteers through a rigorous exercise routine (a mix of weights, sustained cycling, and high-intensity sprints) three times, and after each time gave them a different post-workout protocol.
They then actually looked into the muscles via muscle biopsies and 17 blood samples to determine the rate of protein synthesis; how much muscle was being built to repair damage from the exercise and build bigger/stronger new muscle? These were their results:  This shows the rate of protein synthesis from each of the three trials (and at rest), from lowest to highest:
These results are not surprising, but what exactly does it mean for your social life? The dose used in this study was quite high; 1.5g/kg equates to about 7 drinks for a 150lb person, a pretty heavy evening of drinking. Of course, those summer days spent on the patio, around the pool or at a family bbq, can easily add up to 7 drinks. Other studies have looked at a lower dose, and this one concluded that 1.0 g/kg (4.9 drinks – one bottle of wine - for the 150-lb person) hindered recovery, but 0.5 g/kg (2.4 drinks) didn't. So enjoy that glass of wine, or two, but know that any more than that will start having an impact on muscle growth and repair. Testosterone While studies are mixed about how much testosterone affects muscle growth (assuming they are at least within the normal ranges), one thing everyone is sure of is that low testosterone levels do not help you build muscle, and low enough testosterone will cause muscle loss. So while 2-3 drinks a week will not be likely to affect your testosterone levels, any more than this and you run the risk of decreased testosterone and muscle loss. Combating this lowered testosterone with resistance training will definitely help, however watch how much you drink post. Moderation is key As with most things in life, moderation is key, along with knowing how your choices will affect you, both short and long term. Moderation with alcohol can be tricky, as dosage is key and is sometimes hard to keep track of. A bottle of beer is the easiest as it equals one drink, however a large draft beer is much more, as is that fish bowl size red wine glass! One bottle of wine actually equals 5 drinks, so be aware of this as you pour. Enjoying a few drinks with friends and loved ones can have a positive effect on your mental and physical health, so drink those two glasses of wine and know that you will be enjoying the benefits long after the evening is over. *All nutritional and fitness info must be discussed with your doctor before any changes to diet or exercise regime are implemented. Change nothing and nothing will change; without change, there can be no progress!
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