03/04/2018
Don't Douse Your Fat-Burning Fire with Alcohol!
An occasional drink fits neatly into a healthy lifestyle. In fact, many studies have found that moderate that alcohol consumption - 1 or 2 drinks per day - can offer many health benefits from possibly lowering the risk of heart attacks and strokes to reducing occurrences of gallstones. Evidence about these possible health benefits is uncertain, and may not benefit everyone who drinks. However, we do know that alcohol is a deterrent to weight loss. Many people choose low calorie or low carb alcoholic beverages when trying to lose weight while dieting. It's important to understand that while 5% of the calories from alcohol are stored as fat, they are not the primary concern when striving toward your weight-loss goal. Exactly how does alcohol consumption obstruct your weight-loss efforts?- Affects the amount of fat your body burns: The body converts alcohol into acetate, which can be converted into energy easily, with minimum metabolic output. Acetate then becomes the preferred fuel and fat burning is reduced. In fact, fat metabolism can be reduced by as much as 73% after consuming just two drinks in a one hour time period.
- Increases appetite: A study conducted by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition indicated that consumption of alcohol leads to an increase in appetite.
- Causes dehydration: Alcohol is a diuretic and an immediate cause of dehydration. Water is vital muscle building and general health, and dehydration can not only hamper fat-burning and muscle growth, it's very dangerous!
- Decreases testosterone and increases cortisol: Testosterone increases fat metabolism by increasing key receptors on the fat cell-membrane to release fat while enhancing muscle growth. One study of 8 healthy male volunteers indicated that after drinking alcohol, a significant decrease in testosterone and increase in cortisol - a muscle destroying hormone - lasted up to 24 hours! This isn't just for the guys, women's bodies use testosterone too!
- Decreases vitamin and mineral absorption: Because alcohol inhibits fat burning, fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, C and K cannot be efficiently used. These vitamins are required for wound healing and cell maintenance. Additionally, alcohol causes a depletion of magnesium, potassium, and calcium.
- Disturbs sleep patterns: Alcohol consumption can induce sleep disorders by disrupting the sequence and duration of sleep states. Of course, high quality sleep is extremely important to the rebuilding and growth process of muscle, and we all know that more muscle helps burn more fat!
