Alcohol is a risk factor for more than 200 health disorders and is linked to 40% of deaths from liver disease. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) there is no level of healthy consumption as such, therefore, not drinking alcohol is the best way to avoid future health problems.
However, the vice president of the European Association for Liver Studies (Easl) has advised going at least three days a week without ingesting alcoholic beverages. Although it should be noted that drinking wine specifically, in moderate amounts, is good for cardiovascular health, since it reduces the formation of blood clots, prevents arterial damage caused by high cholesterol levels and improves the function of the layer of cells that line the blood vessels.
Meanwhile, most of the scientific literature points out that moderate consumption of alcohol means having one drink a day for women and two for men. This is not usually harmful to health, quite the contrary, for some experts this helps reduce the risk of suffering from diseases such as type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, dementia, common colds, among others.
Does alcohol affect muscles?
Meanwhile, excessive alcohol consumption can be detrimental to decrease protein synthesis. In fact, the web portal Fitness Viate, details that drinking seven beers following training decreases protein synthesis by 24-37%, both in men and women. Instead, if consumption is regulated and only one or two beers are drunk following training, this does not affect protein synthesis and testosterone levels in the body.
When you have alcohol in large quantities in the digestive system, what the body does is pause everything that has to do with the elimination of toxins and in that case, it also inhibits muscle growth. Likewise, the hormones and the recovery of the organism are also affected, because high doses suppress testosterone levels and decrease the production of strength and power up to a day and a half following it is consumed.
Does alcohol gain weight?
However, alcohol has an average of 4.7 calories/gram and a typical drink usually has between 13 and 15 grams of alcohol, which gives an average of 70 calories, added to those from carbohydrates that the drink may contain. Thus, if the calories consumed from alcohol and other nutrients do not exceed the daily requirements, fat will not be stored. For example, drinking between one and two beers every day for a month does not cause weight gain, but if consumed in excess, this can happen.
What really happens in relation to alcohol and other foods is that calories are not reduced to compensate for those of alcohol and that is why following a couple of drinks, the body disinhibits impulse control and without realizing it, ends up eating too much.
Therefore, it is clear to keep in mind that alcohol stops the burning of fat and carbohydrates, that is, if you eat a pizza, which contains an excessive amount of fat and carbohydrates, along with a few beers, the body will not react correctly and therefore will not burn the consumed carbohydrates.
