This is Part 2 of the continuation of the effects of
excessive alcohol on your bodybuilding workouts.
4- Decrease in vitamin and mineral absorption
When you consume large quantities of alcohol, your liver is
busy converting the alcohol to acetate and any vitamins and
minerals that it might process are taken up by the
detoxification process.
Alcohol interferes with the metabolism of most vitamins,
and with the absorption of many nutrients. Alcohol
stimulates both urinary calcium and magnesium excretion.
[13]
This just means that you'll get less of a benefit from the
"healthy" meal you may be consuming.
Food in the stomach will compete with ethanol for
absorption into the blood stream. It is well known that
alcohol competes and influences the processing of nutrients
in the body. [12]
5- Decrease in protein synthesis of type II fibers
This means the actual building of muscle is slowed down by
20%+ or more. This included a 35% decrease in muscle
insulin-like growth factor-I (GF-I). [9]
6- Dehydration
A common side effect of alcohol is dehydration. Alcohol is
a diuretic. Drinks containing 4% alcohol tend to delay the
recovery process. [11]
Considering how important water is to muscle building and
general health, it's clear that dehydration can put a
damper on your progress. After alcohol consumption the
first thing you might want to do is drink coffee. But
that's a diuretic as well. How to avoid dehydration?
Drink more water.
7- Sleep
Alcohol consumption, especially at the times when you would
normally sleep, can have effects on the quality of sleep.
Clearly high quality sleep is extremely important to the
rebuilding and growth process of muscle. Without proper
rest and recovery, your gains will be affected.
Alcohol consumption can induce sleep disorders by
disrupting the sequence and duration of sleep states and by
altering total sleep time as well as the time required to
fall asleep. [10]
8- The next day
A rather obvious conclusion but if you plan on drinking on
a Friday night in excess then the leg workout you thought
of doing on Saturday morning won't be top notch. It takes
a bit to recover, your body to detoxify and for you
mentally to be prepared to workout.
Not to mention you need energy for the workout ahead.
Sure you can hit the weights but my point is...
It's not going to be the best workout you've ever
experienced.
At this point you might be totally discouraged to ever
drink any alcohol again. But there's some good news.
Here's proof...
In the November 2004 issue of the International Journal of
Obesity [7] they did a study on the effects of moderate
consumption of white wine on weight loss.
Each group consumed 1500 calories. 150 calories came from
white wine in one group and 150 calories from grape juice
in another.
The conclusion?
An energy-restricted diet is effective in overweight and
obese subjects used to drinking moderate amounts of
alcohol. A diet with 10% of energy derived from white wine
is as effective as an isocaloric diet with 10% of energy
derived from grape juice.
It's simple: Moderation is the key! (with first place
being abstinence as you already know).
In any event...
The effects of alcohol on your body when it comes to
building muscle and burning fat are quite clear. It is a
lot more than just some extra calories stored as fat. If
you consume too much, it can derail your goals a lot longer
after your head has hit the pillow and you've gone to sleep.
References:
1. Heikkonen, E., Ylikahri, R., Roine, R., Valimaki, M.,
Harkonen, M., & Salaspuro, M. (1996). The combined effect
of alcohol and physical exercise on serum testosterone,
luteinizing hormone, and cortisol in males. Alcoholism,
Clinical and Experimental Research, 20, 711-716
2. Kvist, H., Hallgren, P., Jonsson, L., Pettersson, P.,
Sjoberg, C., Sjostrom, L., & Bjorntorp, P. (1993).
Distribution of adipose tissue and muscle mass in alcoholic
men. Metabolism, 42, 569-573
3. Raben A, Agerholm-Larsen L, Flint A, Holst JJ, Astrup A.
(2003). Meals with similar energy densities but rich in
protein, fat, carbohydrate, or alcohol have different
effects on energy expenditure and substrate metabolism but
not on appetite and energy intake. American Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, 77, 91-100
4. Siler, S.Q., Neese, R.A., & Hellerstein, M.K. (1999). De
novo lipogenesis, lipid kinetics, and whole-body lipid
balances in humans after acute alcohol consumption.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 70, 928-936
5. Tremblay, A., & St-Pierre, S. (1996). The hyperphagic
effect of a high-fat diet and alcohol intake persists after
control for energy density. American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition, 63, 479-482
6. Valimaki, M.J., Harkonen, M., Eriksson, C.J., &
Ylikahri, R.H. (1984). Sex hormones and adrenocortical
steroids in men acutely intoxicated with ethanol. Alcohol,
1, 89-93
7. Flechtner-Mors, M., Biesalski, H.K., Jenkinson, C.P.,
Adler, G., & Ditschuneit, H.H. (2004). Effects of moderate
consumption of white wine on weight loss in overweight and
obese subjects. International Journal of Obesity and
Related Metabolic Disorders, 28, 1420-1426
8. Buemann, B., Toubro, S., & Astrup, A. (2002). The effect
of wine or beer versus a carbonated soft drink, served at a
meal, on ad libitum energy intake. International Journal of
Obesity and Related Metabolic Disorders, 26, 1367-1372
9. Lang CH, Frost RA, Kumar V, Wu D, Vary TC. (2000).
Inhibition of muscle protein synthesis by alcohol is
associated with modulation of eIF2B and eIF4E, 3, 322-31
10. Alcohol Alert, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism, No. 41 July. 1988
11. Shirreffs, Susan M., and Ronald J Maughan. 91997).
Restoration of fluid balance after exercise-induced
dehydration: effects of alcohol consumption, Journal of
Applied Physiology, Vol. 83, No. 4, pp. 1152-1158
12. "Alcohol, chemistry and you," Kennesaw State
University, chemcases.com, Aug. 2002
13. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Report to Congress,
1990
14. "Why alcohol calories are more important than you
think," Christian Finn, TheFactsAboutFitness.com
----------------------------------------------------
Do you suffer from any of these effects of alcohol on your
body? Who else wants to discover the simple but proven
methods of nutrition and training that will allow you burn
fat and build muscle quickly? Sign up for Marc David's
Crash Course on Bodybuilding at
http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com
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