Alcohol

[HETJeru]

Hello,

I donno if this has been brought up before or not, probably yes.

Does alcohol have any "proven" effect beyond its caloric value? I mean we hear a lot about the fact that it is the fastest energy source and the "stop burning fat" that ensues, but if a person is in a caloric deficit what does it matter? Is this just speculation or are there any serious studies about that. Also the hormonal effect seems anecdotic and too complicated to rule out, no?

[gbullock32]

In moderation it is not something you need to worry about, and if you're drinking enough that it does effect hormones and fat loss than you have other problems to be thinking about.

[HETJeru]

Thanks gbullock32
And happy birthday

[Technorobot]

Read a major study a couple of years back and in moderation it doesn't increase mortality rate compared to nondrinkers. So i doubt it's healthy but in small amounts it shouldn't shorten your life.

[HETJeru]

Thanks Technorobot,
Donno if you're a human or a robot
My question is more about fat loss than lifespan but that can be important too, hhhh

[gbullock32]

Thanks gbullock32
And happy birthday

May is my join date on this forum and not my Birthday, but the sentiment is nice.

[rhadam]

Hello,

I donno if this has been brought up before or not, probably yes.

Does alcohol have any "proven" effect beyond its caloric value? I mean we hear a lot about the fact that it is the fastest energy source and the "stop burning fat" that ensues, but if a person is in a caloric deficit what does it matter? Is this just speculation or are there any serious studies about that. Also the hormonal effect seems anecdotic and too complicated to rule out, no?

Consumption of alcohol does not mean the body stops other processes. That’s nonsense and I don’t understand why that myth continues to exist.

[desslok]

Drinking alcohol has been proven to make me eat literally any and all snack foods put in front of me, as well as turn 6/10s into 9/10s.

[HETJeru]

Drinking alcohol has been proven to make me eat literally any and all snack foods put in front of me, as well as turn 6/10s into 9/10s.

Thanks desslok for sharing your experience.

There are many things that can make people overeat: sugar and simple carbs, stress, etc... Actually people overeat in general since obesity rates are rising on average.

However my question is more on effects of alcohol when you manage to keep your caloric and macro goals.

[godevs4ever]

Thanks desslok for sharing your experience.

There are many things that can make people overeat: sugar and simple carbs, stress, etc... Actually people overeat in general since obesity rates are rising on average.

However my question is more on effects of alcohol when you manage to keep your caloric and macro goals.

I drink alcohol now, not nearly as much as I used to but over the last 8 weeks I've dropped 30lbs, so yeah I'd say that it really is a lot of propoganda about how bad alcohol is for you. Oh and on top of that 15lbs was pure fat and the rest was garbage weight and maybe 1-2 lbs of LBM and my dry lean mass is the exact same...

so yeah drink in moderation and as long as it fits your macros and youll be fine.

[javierstokes]

Long time lurker, first time poster on a whim here-

I struggled with alcoholism and drug addiction badly for about half a decade, and got sober about 2.5 years ago (I'm 27 now). I continued working out, lifting and running, during my using years but was never able to make any true gains and still put on fat. Looking back, I think all I was really doing was slowing the rate of weight gain.

Since getting sober I've been much more successful with fitness goals. If you're like most people and not an alcoholic, it's not a huge deal. As others have said, if you're drinking that much, gains should be the least of your concerns.

[FittBrittany]

I think that if it's in moderation (2 drinks a day for men, 1 for women), someone probably wouldn't need to worry as much about anything beyond the caloric content?

But if you're drinking more, one thing to remember is the negative effects on your sleep (where a lot of muscle-repair happens and is overall just so important for muscle maintenance). Even in general, excess alcohol is just related to lower muscle mass. Here's a study on quad muscles in what they consider "alcoholics". You can search "Effects of chronic alcohol ingestion on whole body and muscle protein synthesis" by Pacy, Preedy, Read, Hallidy. I can't post links.

Also I agree with others that alcohol consumption doesn't stop your body's other processes.

[Nedo]

When I was in high school, I followed Dr Bernstein diet which is dangerously low cals and drank to get drunk 2-3+ nights a week and the weight still flew off. Proving what we already know; be in a cal deficit and you will lose weight.

[Kirra]

Read a major study a couple of years back and in moderation it doesn't increase mortality rate compared to nondrinkers. So i doubt it's healthy but in small amounts it shouldn't shorten your life.

Haven't had time to fully read this yet, but apparently some researchers found that it may not be as safe as it seems:

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/l...310-2/fulltext