How Does Alcohol Effect Your Metabolism?

Whether you are a fitness newbie, or you’ve been tracking your macros for years, you might have questions about how that cocktail is going to affect your fitness goals. Just to be clear, abstaining from alcohol is the best practice to improve your health and fitness, but if you do choose to drink, here are some tips and tools to help you better understand what alcohol does to your body and how to be smart about alcohol consumption. 

Alcohol and the Metabolism

When you consume alcohol (or any calories, for that matter), your body prioritizes what to break down or store first. In the case of alcohol, there is no place for your body to store it, and because of this, fats and carbohydrates get stored while your body processes the alcohol first.  

When people link the term “metabolism” with alcohol, the focus is on your digestive system and how your body processes it.  Your metabolism turns the things you eat and drink into substances that your body can use. Everyone’s metabolic rate is unique based on lifestyle, habits, and body composition. Alcohol is primarily broken down by two specific enzymes alcohol hydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde hydrogenase (ALDH).  

It's also worth noting that despite popular belief, your liver isn't the only organ involved in dealing with alcohol. Your stomach, brain, and pancreas are also involved.  Remember that your body can metabolize 1 ounce of liquor per hour, but that is dependent on how quickly the two enzymes ADH and ALDH work. 

Your Body Cannot Store Alcohol 

This fact is so important it must be repeated. When you drink alcohol at a faster rate than your liver can process it, it end ups in your bloodstream. Since the body cannot store or use alcohol, the liver prioritizes processing the alcohol before carbs and fats. Liver disease is caused, in part, by the resulting build-up of fat in the liver. There are supplements on the market to aid your liver in processing alcohol, so talk to your doctor if you know you have a night of drinking coming up. Just to be clear, these supplements are NOT a fix or cure for excessive drinking and liver disease, only a proactive measure to help support your liver when you do choose to drink alcohol.  

Alcohol and Weight Management

If you drink alcohol and gain weight, does that mean your metabolism is failing you? Very unlikely. Weight gain related to alcohol consumption comes as a result of general overconsumption linked to satiety (the feeling of being full). 

Unlike other macronutrients, alcohol does not affect satiety.  So the calories you consume through alcohol will not affect your appetite like other macronutrients, such as protein.  On top of that, intoxication can encourage overeating and a lack of dietary restraint. The popular terms “drunk munchies” or “drunchies” may come to mind, and rightfully so. Add in the fact that most people sit and socialize when drinking, which means not only are you consuming extra calories but also expending fewer calories, and it's no wonder why drinking can quickly lead to weight gain.

DIT: Diet Induced Thermogenesis

Although you don’t know need to know all the science in order to make a big difference in improving your health, understanding how your body reacts with alcohol is a great start.  

DIT, or diet induced thermogenesis, is the increase in resting metabolic rate in response to food and drink consumption. To simplify, it is the amount of energy that our body uses to process what we eat and drink. 

And get this: studies have found there is a way to help manipulate your metabolism in your favor!  The key is eating a larger amount of protein. Research show that the value of DIT increases when you consume alcohol with a high-protein meal, but it decreases when alcohol is consumed with a high-fat meal.  This means keeping your alcoholic beverages low-carb, and keeping your protein high (even higher than you think), can help regulate your body weight when you drink!  

Be Smarter About Your Drinks

Now this is may seem fairly obvious… but drinking alcohol with fewer calories is an easy way to keep booze from derailing your health and fitness. Here are the nutritional fact for some common drinks: 

• 12 oz beer – 150 cals - 14g alcohol – 13g carbs  
• 5 oz wine – 120 cals - 15g alcohol – 3g carbs  
• 5 oz champagne – 80 cals - 10g alcohol – 1g carbs   
• 1.5 oz spirits – 100 cals 14g alcohol – 0g carbs  
• 1 Mai Tai – 260 cals - 27g alcohol – 17g carbs  

Obviously, it’s not worth drinking champagne instead of beer if you don’t like champagne. With zero health benefits, there’s no reason to have an alcoholic beverage that you don't enjoy, but even with that, some choices are better than others. For example, your margarita can become a skinny margarita by ditching the sugary premade mixes and using soda water and fresh squeezed lime juice instead! 

If you combine smarter drink choices with a well-balanced day of eating plenty of protein and veggies, you can minimize the impact adult beverages have on your body composition.  

Alcohol and Sleep

Getting at least 7-8 hours of sleep is extremely beneficial for weight loss AND maintaining muscle mass. A recent weight loss study showed that sleep deprived participants (defined as those getting only 6-7 hrs per night) had 83% of their total weight loss come from lean mass, while only 17% of their weight loss came from fat! In the same study, the participants getting sufficient sleep (defined as those getting 7-8 hrs per night) had 81% of their weight loss coming from fat mass, and only 19% came from lean mass. 

The proportion of lean mass/fat mass lost switched completely based on getting an extra hour of sleep! While there is a lot more to weight loss and fat loss, such as nutrition, sleep can also have a profound impact on body composition. 

So what does alcohol have to do with all of this? While alcohol can help you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly for the first half of the night, it also increases overall sleep disruptions and decreases REM sleep. This means alcohol will most likely cause you to get less than 7-8 hours of sleep because it wakes you up randomly throughout the night, and your energy will decrease due to the decrease in REM sleep.  Studies have shown that less REM sleep can lead to next day drowsiness, poor concentration, and further increased sleep disruptions.

For those who don't want to give up alcohol completely, just be strategic about when and how often you drink, and avoid falling into the trap of thinking that a couple drinks to help you wind down is going to make you more rested the next day or that a little "night cap" can't hurt. Since it takes 1 hour for the metabolism to process 1 oz of liquor, having a drink right before going to bed is not the smartest choice. While you may think you are sleeping better because you slip right into sleep, the reality is that is is going to more detriment to your overall health than if you stop drinking an hour or two before bed time.

Alcohol and Hormones

Did you know that alcohol hinders the production of some of your body’s most important hormones? Unfortunately, alcohol consumption decreases testosterone production in men, and moderate alcohol consumption is linked to a decrease in progesterone levels for women.  Plus chronic consumption of large amounts of alcohol will lead to significant disruption of the endocrine system (aka all hormones), which can results in thyroid problems, immune dysfunction and more.  

Sometimes it can be hard to hear the truth, but the discussion around alcohol and its impact on your body can be helpful if you don't want to cut it out completely. You can enjoy having a drink with loved ones at social events, but planning ahead can minimize the impact alcohol has on your metabolism, sleep, and hormones.

Use D.I.T. to your advantage, make calorie-friendly alcohol choices, don’t drink close to bed time, and take supplements that support your body during the breakdown of alcohol. Lastly, if you don't want (or enjoy) alcohol, simply don't drink! The negative impact alcohol has on your body isn't worth giving in to social pressure. If you are at an event and are worried you will stand out by not drinking, try a sparkling water with lime to hydrate while mingling, and no one will be able to tell the difference.