There is a time and a place for alcohol, and it is an extremely personal choice how one incorporates it. It is no one’s business how you involve alcohol in your life but your own, and your family’s. With Dry January and FebFast being in full motion for some of my patients, this was a topic I felt necessary to address.
“According to the 2019 NSDUH, 14.5 million (nearly 15 million) people ages 12 and older (5.3 percent of this age group) had Alcohol Use Disorder. This number includes 9.0 million men (6.8 percent of men in this age group) and 5.5 million women (3.9 percent of women in this age group). According to the 2019 NSDUH, an estimated 414,000 adolescents ages 12 to 17 (1.7 percent of this age group) had AUD. This number includes 163,000 males(1.3 percent of males in this age group) and 251,000 females (2.1 percent of females in this age group).”
Before continuing to read on, I would like to preface the following with saying that alcohol is a choice- it is not “good” or “bad”- you need to live your life the way you want to live it! However, knowing some of the facts may help you make an informed decision how to incorporate it into your lifestyle, if you choose to!
If you are an athlete, LISTEN UP!
Alcohol use, both long term and short term use, will affect your sports performance or workout routine.
“Consuming five or more alcoholic beverages in one night can affect brain and body activities for up to three days. Two consecutive nights of drinking five or more alcoholic beverages can affect brain and body activities for up to five days.”
Alcohol use, for any age, can have a spiral effect. It affects our learning abilities and memory, as well as our ability to form muscle. For example, if you exercise after work, then come home and relax with a glass of wine or beer, even in moderation, your sleep will be disrupted. This lack of sleep will then lower your body’s ability to produce HGH, or human growth hormone. Human growth hormone gives your body the ability to build muscle.
Alcohol can decrease your body’s human growth hormone by 70%. Therefore, alcohol consumption at any level will decrease protein synthesis. To someone who makes physical activity an essential part of their lifestyle, this is detrimental!
Alcohol also decreases nutrient absorption. Essential B vitamins (B12, B6, and thiamine) have decreased absorption. These vitamins fuel our metabolism; without them, our body will show a decline in athletic performance, as well as other symptoms such as fatigue, depression, and hair loss.
In addition, our body decreases in the ability for our cells to carry oxygen when we consume alcohol. Our cells need to carry oxygen in order to be able to run and exercise without the “hitting the wall” feeling. If you are training for a marathon, race, or sports competition, your best bet is to limit alcohol consumption so you can limit lack of absorption of nutrients such as B vitamins as well as fat soluble A, D, E, and K, and reduce your risk for injury.
Alcohol most likely promotes fat storage, and cannot be used as or converted glucose for energy. In fact, alcohol causes the liver to make more fatty acids. In addition, alcohol causes an increase in triglycerides. “At autopsy, the heart of a person who suffered from alcoholism will weigh twice as much as a heart of a nonalcoholic.”
However, we are the type of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists that believe in EVERYTHING in moderation…as long as you are of age! It is recommended that the definition of moderation for alcohol intake is defined as one drink for women and two drinks for men, however some sources report more than three drinks per week equates to excessive consumption.
If you have fat loss or body composition goals, these calories can and will keep you from reaching your goals if used in excess (just like anything used in excess). Make educated decisions and choose wisely.
In the past, we have gone to schools and presented about alcohol and it’s effect on the body- knowledge is power and it is important to educate our youth to empower them to make choices that will benefit their long term health and goals.
Mental health is a topic that has been prevalent in society; RDN’s can serve as a beacon of change for society’s relationship with food, substance use, and how we take care of our bodies.
Want us to come to your school or participate in one of your events? Call us at 609-738-3143 or email us at [email protected]!
Statistics taken from NIH on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
