On the topic of alcohol and weight
While alcohol consumption can be a fun activity that joins friends together for a good time, there can be serious health consequences associated with too much drinking, part of which can lead to obesity and weight gain.
Recent studies show that alcohol consumption increases the amount of energy you use, due to the thermogenic effect it has. This means that your body temperature increases. Wait... so why did you just say that excessive alcohol consumption can lead to gaining weight? By this logic, shouldn't it help you lose weight?
There are a few explanations for this. First is when alcohol is consumed, your body prioritizes the metabolism or use of alcohol, as it is toxic to the body. This means that your body will put other calories at the back of the line for energy use until it has cleared alcohol from the bloodstream. In other words, you end up storing more fat!
There is also evidence that alcohol disrupts the efficiency of the endocrine system. This includes the hormones that control, hunger, metabolism, and your sex drive. With continued excessive alcohol consumption, your hormone levels are out of control, which ultimately disrupt your metabolism, make you more depressed, and less likely to want to have sex. Your body becomes less efficient at processing food, and you have less ability to build muscle which is a well-known method for burning calories. The more muscle you have, the more calories you require to live.
The last explanation for alcohol being a cause for your weight gain is that it promotes overall higher calorie intake. When you drink, you typically eat a big meal in preparation to avoid getting too drunk. This, in conjunction with multiple drinks, can send your calorie intake through the roof! A big meal might be 700 calories plus 3-4 drinks at 200 calories a pop, and now you're looking at 1500 calories for one evening. That's not even taking to account what you had throughout the day, which could be another 1000-2000 calories. This is typically way over a person's daily allowance for calories. Additionally, there is some evidence that drinking promotes your drive to eat. We have all been there. After drinking 3-5 drinks, you're starving and want nothing besides that big, greasy burger with fries. Now we are looking at 4,000 calories in 24 hours! If you are doing this every weekend, it's easy to see why you would gain a lot of weight.
Overall, the purpose of this post is not to rob the joys out of your life, or to judge you. Everybody has their vices. If you enjoy having some drinks with friends on a weekend, go for it! But make conscious decisions as to what you are putting in your body, and don't let short term fun derail you from your long term goals!
Citations:
Gregory TraversyandJean-Philippe Chaput, 2015, Alcohol Consumption and Obesity: An Update, Springer Current Obesity Reportshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4338356/
MICHAEL T. FRENCH,a,*EDWARD C. NORTON,bHAI FANG,candJOHANNA CATHERINE MACLEAN, 2010, Alcohol Consumption and Body weight, Health Econ
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3082959/
Nadia Rachdaoui1andDipak K. Sarkar, 2014, Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3767933/
