Body weight can be controlled in various ways. It can get overwhelmingly confusing with all the things you have to consider. But the mechanics of it depends on one single equation. Calories in minus calories out equals to delta weight. So if we look at the effects of alcohol on weight management, it should be all about the calories in it, right? Unfortunately, no. It has more effects to weight gain then its calories, and here are the reasons why.
Direct calories Effects
I will tell you that only less then 5% of calories from alcohol is turned to fat but before opening a new bottle let me tell you what happens to the other 95%. The rest works in your body to reduce the fat burn rate. To be more scientific; alcohol is converted to acetate in your liver. The acetate in your blood takes higher priority than fat to be used as source of energy. So alcohol consumption pushes the break on fat burn.
Hormonal Effects
Heavy drinking sessions have been found to increase cortisol "the stress hormone" levels in bloodstream. Spiked and prolonged levels of cortisol hormone has a number of bad effects one of which is increased abdominal fat and decreased muscle tissue. Too much alcohol consumption also slashes the testosterone levels. Testosterone is known as body building hormone. The damaging effects of alcohol on testosterone are worse if you exercise before drinking.
Alcohol and Appetite
For moderate drinkers, alcohol increases the appetite. There are studies supporting that alcoholic drinks taken before meal increase the calorie intake to a greater extend than a carbohydrate-based drink. For heavy drinkers tough, alcohol is observed to have opposite effects. But I guess, if you are a heavy drinker, you need to get your priorities straight and before worrying about weight control, you need to take action for more direct effects to your health.
Healthy Drinking Pattern
A study that analyzes data collected from more than 3,000 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) suggests a sensible drinking pattern rather than blacklisting alcohol consumption fully. To better understand the study let's take a look at some of the terms they used. Alcohol consumption can be characterized by two variables. First, the quantity; the amount consumed on a drinking day. Second, the frequency; how often alcohol is consumed. And diet quality is measured by Healthy Eating Index (HEI) score which is a measure of how closely an individual's diet conforms to USDA recommendations regarding vegetables, fruit, grains, meat, and milk as well as total fat, cholesterol, and sodium consumption.
The findings suggest that as the quantity increases HEI scores declines. Whereas, when the frequency increases, HEI score improves. So the best pattern is drinking as little as possible with higher frequency. And the poorest pattern is to drink in large volumes with long breaks in between. And as for the amount; the Dietary Guidelines for Americans suggest that women shouldn't exceed 1 drink per day while the limit for men is 2 drinks per day. And to be more specific, a 'drink' is considered to be:
o 4-5 ounces of wine
o 10 ounces of wine cooler
o 12 ounces of beer
o 1-1/4 ounces of distilled liquor (80 proof whiskey, vodka, scotch, or rum)
When we look at alcohol purely from the dietary perspective, it is important to know the effects of alcohol to your diet and what your limits are. If having a few drinks in good company is as joyful to you as it is to me, you can still do it without damaging your diet too badly by following a healthier drinking pattern.
