Alcohol is one of the most commonly consumed substances on the planet and has a range of effects on the brain, body, and health. Understanding the effects of alcohol consumption and learning how to manage your intake is critical to making the best choices for your desired health outcomes.
UNDERSTANDING ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
The United States Departments of Health and Agriculture define one alcoholic drink as:
12 fluid oz of ~5% alcohol beer
5 fluid oz of ~12% alcohol wine
1.5 fluid oz of ~40% (80 proof) distilled liquor
Low To Moderate Drinking: 1 to 2 drinks per day or 7 to 14 drinks per week on average
Heavy Drinking: 12 to 24 drinks per week on average
WHAT IS ALCOHOL
Alcohol is a toxin that produces substantial stress and damage to cells. Additionally, alcohol is water soluble and fat soluble, meaning it can pass into ALL of the cells and tissues of your body. When digested, it is converted into acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is poison. Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram which are empty calories that do not contain any nutritional value.
Gut Health: People who ingest alcohol at any amount are inducing harm to the gut microbiome, as it kills the healthy bacteria that help support your immune system and release hormones. As a consequence, the lining of the gut is disrupted. This may lead to inflammation and leaky gut syndrome in which bad bacteria go into your bloodstream.
Cancer Risk: Alcohol can alter gene expression due to its toxicity and is associated with a significant increase in the risk of cancer. Specifically, alcohol has been shown to increase breast cancer by 4 to 13% for every 10 grams of alcohol consumed, which is about one beer. Alcohol increases tumor growth & suppresses molecules that inhibit tumor growth.
Hormones: The toxic metabolites of alcohol increase the conversion of testosterone to estrogen. During acute exposure, small amounts of alcohol have shown marginal increases in testosterone. However, over time estrogen levels increase and testosterone levels decrease. Also, people who drink regularly (low to moderate) experience more cortisol released at baseline when they are NOT drinking. As a consequence, these people feel more stressed and anxious when they are NOT drinking.
ALCOHOL AND THE BRAIN
If people are ingesting alcohol chronically (even if it's not every night) there are known negative changes in neural circuits, neural brain chemistry, and brain to body stress system. Low to moderate levels of alcohol consumption, such as one or two drinks per day, can lead to degeneration of neurons in the brain. Chronic alcohol intake can disrupt the brain even if the chronic intake is low.
Alcohol has a detrimental effect on brain thickness (shrinkage of grey matter volume) and impairs motor function, judgment, and productivity. Furthermore, it greatly affects memory formation and storage. The more often people drink, there are changes in the brain circuits that control habitual and impulsive behavior. These circuits are modified and strengthened in ways that make the person more habitual and impulsive outside of the times they are drinking.
ALCOHOL AND SLEEP
Consuming only one alcoholic drink is not the same sleep you get when alcohol is not circulating in your system. The architecture of sleep (slow wave sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep) is all disrupted. The quality of sleep is diminished. Poor quality of sleep is related to negative impacts on:
Recovery
Stress relief
Emotional stabilization
Immune system
Muscle gain
Fat loss
ALCOHOL AND BODY COMPOSITION
Muscle Growth
Inhibits muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and fat oxidation
Reduces the rate of muscle growth and decreases absorption of nutrients
Interferes with recovery and hormonal balance
Disrupts sleep
Reduces quality of the next day training session
Increases the chance of muscle loss, especially during a caloric deficit
The more you drink, the less muscle you are likely to grow.
Fat Gain
The body does not burn other food calories as efficiently when alcohol is consumed and they are more likely to be stored as fat
Cells will preferentially use alcohol calories, pausing your fat loss progress and increasing muscle loss potential
Indirect increases of fat storage or slow fat burning. Over time, these missed fat burning opportunities will lead to more fat gain
Additional sugar in mixed drinks can directly contribute to fat storage
Dietary Adherence
The number of calories you have to remove from your food intake to be able to include a few drinks becomes problematic for macronutrient needs. Most sugary drinks contain a large number of calories and having only a few can make calorie cuts necessary in the 500 to 1000 range. Overall, it is not a beneficial habit for health outcomes
Judgment and sensible controlled thinking required for good dietary adherence is decreased with the more alcohol you consume. When you drink, you are more likely to reach for things that give you immediate pleasure. This tends to be tasty calorie dense comfort foods that will offset your diet
Hydration
Alcohol leads to dehydration which can impede recovery and performance
Alcohol is a diuretic and it causes the excretion of water and sodium (critical electrolyte for the function of neurons)
BUT I STILL WANT TO DRINK!
Alcohol Intake Management
Choose alcoholic drinks with lower sugar and calorie content such as tequila or vodka soda rather than beer or wine
It is recommended to drink two glasses of water for every alcoholic beverage consumed
Drink water with electrolytes (sodium, magnesium, potassium)
Consume as few drinks as possible to have fun (tipsy and NOT drunk)
Stop drinking 2+ hours before bed to help improve sleep quality
Keep tempting and easily accessible comfort food out of reach
Drink before a rest day and NOT a hard training session
Drink as few times as possible during the weeks and months
The best amount of alcohol to drink is no alcohol. If you still want to drink, you don’t need to give up ALL alcohol but it is recommended to track intake.
SUMMARY
The negative effects of alcohol are stronger on a dose-response relationship: the more you drink, the worse the effects. Take into consideration the effects of alcohol consumption and decide for yourself what is most important.
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