Alcohol and Exercise
Some of us use it daily, some weekly and some only on special occasions. What effects does alcohol have on the body?
One of the components of a healthy body is maintaining the correct body weight. Alcohol consumption has the reverse affect. To be able to loose weight the body�s fat metabolism needs to be active. Recent research showed that two glasses of alcohol in 1 hour can reduce your fat metabolism by as much as 70%.
When alcohol enters the body it is converted into acetate. The rise of acetate levels in the blood cause a decrease in fat metabolism leading to acetate as the major energy provider.
Just as the fat metabolism is affected, alcohol has the ability to increase one�s appetite. The more you drink the more you eat. As the liver tends to battle to break alcohol into acetate, food will be converted into fat.
Alcohol affects protein synthesis. Every muscle in your body consists of protein and the building blocks for proteins are amino acids. Alcohol slows down the process in which amino acids bind to form protein. No wonder body builders hate alcohol.
Alcohol consumption causes a decrease in testosterone levels. Testosterone is a muscle building hormone and the amount present in your blood determines your muscle gaining ability. Build muscle while drinking excessively is to no affect.
Dehydration is a well known after-affect of alcohol consumption. A muscle consists of 70% water. When consuming alcohol the kidneys need to filter large amounts of water to break the alcohol down. Water plays a crucial role in muscle building and being slightly dehydrated can have severe affects.
With dehydration comes drainage of important vitamins such as Vitamins. A, B, C, and Ca2+. These play a major role in muscle growth and maintenance. Not only will this affect your training ability but also your overall health.
As you can see, alcohol has multiple affects on multiple systems. In the exercise industry the emphasis lies on how much, when and with what. For advice regarding alcohol consumption and training please feel free to talk with any of the Invigorate team. � Gerhard