Alcohol and Weight Loss, a Drinkers Dilemma
Our bodies don't digest alcohol the same way they digest food. If you're going to drink while dieting, the key is to know two very important things. How much alcohol is appropriate and when is the best time for a drink.
Lets start with how much. Contrary to common belief, alcohol has calories. In fact, alcohol has nearly twice as many calories per gram as protein or carbohydrates. Protein and carbohydrates both have 4 calories per gram. Alcohol has 7 calories per gram. Only fat is higher with 9 calories per gram. Having a drink will add calories and you have to account for them if you're trying to lose weight.
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To understand how much alcohol I'm talking about, consider this. Two fluid ounces is equal to 1/4 cup or four tablespoons. Here are some common drinks and the calories they hold.
If you pour yourself a "serving" of red or white wine (5 fluid ounces) it's about 125 calories. A 12-ounce bottle of Budweiser beer has 145 calories in it. Three fluid ounces of gin is 192 calories while three fluid ounces of vodka will set you back 218 calories.
None of those will destroy a diet, as long as you're limiting yourself to a single serving. The problem comes in the volume. Go out for a night of drinks with friends and it's not uncommon to have three or four drinks. Do that with vodka and you could potentially take in nearly 900 calories. That'll set you back a LOT.
If you're trying to lose weight, limit yourself to a single alcoholic drink for the entire evening. The majority of research on alcohol and health benefits stress women can have only one drink a day while men should limit themselves to two or less.
When you drink is important because of the way alcohol is absorbed into the body. Eat regular food and it's slowly digested in the stomach while your body draws out energy, vitamins and minerals. Drink some alcohol and your body stores all the food you've eaten as fat. Here's why.
Alcohol doesn't need to be digested in the stomach. Between 20% and 30% of the alcohol molecules diffuse directly through the stomach wall and go straight into the bloodstream. That reaches the brain and liver in minutes. The remaining alcohol is taken in through the small intestine and then shuttled directly to the liver.
Your body puts all it's attention into taking care of the alcohol first. Any foods you may have eaten are changed into fat, held onto until the alcohol is digested and then carried away for permanent fat storage. If you're trying to lose weight, you want to get energy from food, not have it stored as fat. That means technically the best time to have a drink for a dieter is when you have an empty stomach.
But there are a few problems with drinking on an empty stomach. The first is that the alcohol will affect you faster (because there's no food to slow down the absorption.)
The second is that alcohol is an appetite stimulant. If you're drinking on an empty stomach you're already going to be a little hungry. Add some alcohol to the mix and you'll get even hungrier.
The final problem is that alcohol tends to loosen inhibitions. If you're hungry and have a drink, you're less likely to be careful about your food choices the rest of the night. That means the ideal window for a drink is 2-3 hours after you've eaten. If you have the willpower, limit yourself to a single drink and then about 30 to 60 minutes later have a small, reasonable meal.
Good luck timing all that.
If you can keep from overindulging, time when to take a drink and you account for the calories, go for it. Otherwise the best idea is to simply avoid drinking alcohol completely, or at least quit until after you've hit your target weight.
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Alcohol and Breast Cancer
In a rather startling study, researchers from Harvard University found that just three glasses of beer or wine a week can raise a woman's breast cancer risk by 15% compared to non-drinkers.
This was after going through the drinking habits of 105,986 women over 28 years.
Increase that to over two glasses a day and the risk of breast cancer increased by a staggering 50 percent.
The theory is that alcohol raises levels of estrogen, which increase breast cancer growth.
If you're someone at higher risk, or concerned at all about your long-term health, becoming a teetotaler might not be such a bad idea! A link to the abstract is provided here.
Study published in the
November 16, 2011 Edition of JAMA.
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CAUTION: Check with your doctor before beginning any diet or exercise program.
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