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If there is one area of little research but huge misconceptions in the fitness field it is that of the negative effects of alcohol and exercise. Alcohol consumption is quite common in our society today, and very tangible social pressures exist for individuals to drink. So much so that many avid gym goers indulge in a drink of two after their workouts from time to time with little thought given to any potential negative effects. Most are aware that alcoholic beverages are high in calories but ignore any possible ill effects given their activity level. The idea is that a good workout counteracts any possible negative outcomes from the consumption of alcoholic beverages and that there are actually some tangible health benefits to the occasional glass. Such thinking however, fails to take into consideration the very less than favorable hormonal consequences. Changes that include sharp and extended reductions in free testosterone levels that are actually made worse by training before drinking and reductions in growth hormone production as well. In this article we will take a hard look at how testosterone is affected by the combination of alcohol and exercise and the suppressive effects of alcohol on growth hormone- findings that may not be popular but ones that will help you make better and more informed decisions as to whether or not to drink.<\/p>\n
Alcohol: Health Claims Vs Reality<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n What isn\u2019t as publicly trumpeted is the fact that these studies benefits apply only to animals in a laboratory environment and that no such findings have yet been confirmed in human beings.[1] The relatively lower incidence of heart disease among the French when compared to their American counterparts in spite of their higher alcohol consumption (the so called French Paradox] has been also constantly broadcasted throughout every form of media possible as proof positive of the health benefits of regular wine consumption. [2] However, like the resveratrol studies, these findings are somewhat misleading, as equal time is never given to further research that contradicts these health claims. For example, few are aware that the French Paradox is based on an assumption that wine is the cause of their lower incidence of cardiovascular disease. It\u2019s a big assumption to be honest and one that ignores the fact that the French also on average consume more far seafood that we do over here in the United States with three servings of fish a week. [3,4,5]\u00a0Long chain omega-3 fatty acids<\/a>\u00a0present in fish and seafood have been strongly associated with reduced incidence of heart disease and current studies attribute this along with the fact that compared to the average American the French:<\/p>\n And have a slower and calmer pace of life as the reason their comparative incidences of \u00a0heart disease is lower than here in the United States.[3,4] Not as sexy a message as a drink a day will keep the doctor away, but one that has served to increase sales and consumption of wine from 568 million gallons in 2000 to 784 million gallons in 2010.[6,7] And I have a bit of an authority on the subject matter as my wife is French, and as someone who majored in French Literature and has been over there numerous times, I can personally attest these statements to be true. Along with the fact that French men and women today don’t look any different than Americans at this point as they are beginning to suffer the same increases in obesity as everywhere else ins the world. Marketing hype talking about the French Paradox is just that- a way of increasing wine sales and should not be construed in any way as being real. And if you don’t believe me, take a hop across the pond and see for yourself! (Read my article on\u00a0The Economics Of Obesity<\/b><\/a>\u00a0for more information on how the commercial industries manipulate studies to increase sales)<\/p>\n Alcohol & Calories- A Tip Of The Iceberg<\/strong><\/p>\n Alcohol contains a total of 6.93 calories per gram but unlike just about every other food or drink that we consume, it isn\u2019t digested, but is instead absorbed completely intact and processed directly by you liver. What happens next isn\u2019t exactly the same for everybody as enzymes in your liver converts it to acetaldehyde. Sounds ominous? Well it should since acetaldehyde is a toxic chemical responsible for most of the liver and heart damage we see in those who drink heavily on a regular basis.[8] Not a pretty substance at all, but how much of it remains in your body after drinking depends on how much you drink and some predetermined genetic factors. A healthy liver can usually tolerate small amount of alcohol and can convert the acetaldehyde to acetate- which our bodies can use as an energy substrate and or is harmlessly excreted as water and carbon dioxide.[8] If, however you drink to the point where those incoming calories are in excess of what your body needs for the day, it will be stored as body fat.[9] Drink too much alcohol at one time though and the liver is unable to do its job of metabolizing it from toxic acetaldehyde to relatively harmless acetate- causing an accumulation of this dangerous toxin and a possible deposition of fat in the liver itself.[9] Both very precarious situations from a health perspective. The problem is that everyone reacts differently in terms of how they metabolize alcohol- which is one reason why people who drink heavily aren\u2019t always necessarily obese, and why in some cases they can have even lower body weights than nondrinkers.[10]\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n![\"The](\"http:\/\/naturallyintense.net\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/iStock_000011001093XSmall.jpg\")
\u00a0Before I go any further I would like to preface this article by saying that for thousands of years alcohol has played an integral part in the social development of civilization as a whole. From religious ceremonies to special occasions and feasts, alcohol has been present in just about every human culture on the planet and it would be a mistake to vilify it completely. Consumed infrequently in moderate quantities there can indeed be a place for it- but it is important to understand the tradeoffs as opposed to blindly believing that it might not put a monkey wrench in your goal of getting into the absolute best shape possible or performing a your highest level. (See my article How Long Does It Take To Get Muscle Definition<\/a>) Most of us are aware of the basic problems that alcohol presents from a fitness perspective, but clever marketing and somewhat questionable studies about its health benefits obscure the facts about what the general public should know in order to make better choices about their alcohol use. There has been an inordinate amount of media attention to the possible health benefits of red wine after a chemical found in the skin of grapes (called resveratrol) was found to be associated with a reduced incidence of cancer and cardiovascular disease. Possible health benefits that the wine and alcohol industries have used as a marketing public relations bonanza- as who hasn\u2019t heard of the possible health benefits of drinking wine?<\/div>\n\n
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