Drinking and Exercise: How Alcohol Affects Your Body

Alcohol in your system is detrimental to any kind of fitness activity (except maybe on the dance floor). Here's how booze wreaks havoc on your regimen.

1. Slower Recovery

Hard workouts drain the glycogen stores (carbs stored in the liver and muscles) and leave your muscle tissue in need of repair. "Pouring alcohol into your system as soon as you finish stalls the recovery process," says Tavis Piattoly, R.D. High levels of alcohol displace the carbs, leaving your stores still 50 percent lower than normal even eight hours later, according to one study. Sip or snack on a combo of muscle-repairing protein and carbs (think low-fat chocolate milk or peanut butter on whole-wheat crackers) before tipping back.

2. Packed-On Fat

When booze is on board, your body, besides having to deal with the surplus of calories, prioritizes metabolizing the alcohol over burning fat and carbs. Alcohol also breaks down amino acids and stores them as fat. "For some reason this process is most pronounced in the thighs and glutes," says Piattoly. "Excessive alcohol consumption really chews up muscle in those areas." It also increases levels of cortisol (a stress hormone), which further encourages fat storage, particularly in your midsection.

3. Disrupted Sleep

Boozing also blows your muscle recovery and performance by sapping your sleep. In a study of 93 men and women, researchers found that alcohol decreased sleep duration and increased wakefulness (particularly in the second half of the night), especially in women, whose sleep time was decreased by more than 30 minutes over the night. "Disrupting the sleep cycle can reduce your human growth hormone output—which builds muscle—by as much as 70 percent," says Piattoly.

4. Depleted Water and Nutrients

Alcohol irritates the stomach lining, which can reduce your capacity to absorb nutrients (the reason you have an upset stomach after a few too many), says Brian R. Christie, Ph.D.—not to mention that alcohol makes you pee. For every gram of ethanol you suck down, you pump out 10 milliliters of urine (that's about 9.5 ounces for two beers). As little as 2 percent dehydration hurts endurance performance. And by the way, you can't rehydrate with a dehydrating drink (e.g., beer).

Beer and Wine: How Healthy Are They?

A drink (or two) a day can be beneficial to one’s health. Studies have shown that drinking red wine in moderation lowers your risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

“Men should drink no more than three standard drinks a day; and women, no more than two,” says Mrs Magdalin Cheong, Chief Dietitian of the Dietetic & Food Services at Changi General Hospital.

A standard drink refers to 2/3 of a small can of regular beer (220ml), a glass of wine (100ml) or one nip of spirit (30ml).

To drink or not to drink

Although drinking in moderation can be good for health, Ms Cheong advises non-habitual or social drinkers not to start drinking alcohol regularly for its health benefits.

“For most Asians, drinking is not part of the meal. Hence, when a person starts drinking, it can get out of control and therefore affect one’s health,” says Ms Cheong.

In fact, the nutritional content of beer or wine can be obtained from other more nutritious foods and antioxidants present mainly in fruits and vegetables.

According to Singapore's Health Promotion Board, regular and binge drinking have been linked to obesity, mouth, throat and oesophageal cancer, liver cirrhosis, brain damage and memory loss as well as sexual problems, especially male impotency.

Wine’s nutritional content

Wine contains chemical compounds called natural phenols which are classified as either flavonoids or non-flavonoids.

Flavonoids, which are present in red grapes, have antioxidant properties and help reduce the risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and age-related degenerative disease.

Tannins, a type of flavonoids, are found in grape skins, seeds and stems. A natural preservative in wine, tannins are believed to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Resveratrol, a type of non-flavonoids under the category of stilbenoids, is a naturally occurring antioxidant. It is mostly found in grape skin; red wine has more resveratrol than white wine. Resveratrol is believed to decrease the stickiness of blood platelets and help blood vessels remain open and flexible thereby reducing high blood pressure.

Besides natural phenols, wine also contains polyphenols which are antioxidants. Polyphenols are believed to lower total cholesterol and blood pressure, lessen the risk of cancer, and stimulate the immune system. They also have anti-bacterial properties.

Beer’s nutritional content

Beer contains mainly alcohol with 7kcal energy per gram. The beverage also has various types of vitamin B, such as vitamin B6, vitamin B2 or riboflavin, and vitamin B9 or folate, which are derived from the yeast used during the beer production process.

Studies show benefits of drinking alcohol in moderation

Cardiovascular disease

In 2011, researchers from the Institute for Population and Public Health at the University of Calgary, Canada showed that there was a 14 to 25 per cent reduction in heart disease in moderate drinkers compared with those who had never consumed alcohol.

In particular, according to a study published in the American Medical Journal in 2008, it was found that persons who only drank wine showed the most benefit, having the biggest reduction in cardiovascular events compared with non-drinkers, heavy drinkers or those who drank other types of alcohol.

Ulcers

Studies have also shown that consuming three to six glasses of wine per week can lower the risk of Helicobacter pylori infection (associated with stomach ulcers) by 11 per cent compared to those who do not drink. Red wine, which has antibacterial agents, is also believed to lower the risk of general infection by 6 per cent.

Other health benefits

Other studies have found health benefits of moderate alcohol consumption related to anti-ageing, lowering the risk of obesity and improving cognitive function.

This article was originally published at healthxchange.com.sg