ALPHA Release
The Effects of Alcohol on Fat Loss
Did anyone go into South Norwalk to party this weekend? How about into NYC? Maybe you just went out for dinner in Westport or Stamford for a few glasses of wine? Whatever the case if you consumed any alcohol this weekend, no matter the type, chances are your body is still feeling th effects.
Many people will try to argue that hard alcohol doesn't have any fat and if you consume lower calorie drinks then you body won't be affected. This couldn't be further from the truth. The articles below goes into detail about how detrimental alcohol is to your fat loss goals, and it can't come at a better time of year as beaches and barbeque's are on the way.
"According to conventional wisdom, the infamous "beer belly" is caused by excess alcohol calories being stored as fat. Yet, less than five percent of the alcohol calories you drink are turned into fat. Rather, the main effect of alcohol is to reduce the amount of fat your body burns for energy.
Some evidence for this comes from research carried in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition [4]. Eight men were given two drinks of vodka and sugar-free lemonade separated by 30 minutes. Each drink contained just under 90 calories. Fat metabolism was measured before and after consumption of the drink. For several hours after drinking the vodka, whole body lipid oxidation (a measure of how much fat your body is burning) dropped by a massive 73%.
Rather than getting stored as fat, the main fate of alcohol is conversion into a substance called acetate. In fact, blood levels of acetate after drinking the vodka were 2.5 times higher than normal. And it appears this sharp rise in acetate puts the brakes on fat loss.
A car engine typically uses only one source of fuel. Your body, on the other hand, draws from a number of different energy sources, such as carbohydrate, fat, and protein. To a certain extent, the source of fuel your body uses is dictated by its availability.
In other words, your body tends to use whatever you feed it. Consequently, when acetate levels rise, your body simply burns more acetate, and less fat. In essence, acetate pushes fat to the back of the queue.
So, to summarize and review, here's what happens to fat metabolism after the odd drink or two.
. A small portion of the alcohol is converted into fat.
. Your liver then converts most of the alcohol into acetate.
. The acetate is then released into your bloodstream, and replaces fat as a source of fuel."
Many people will try to argue that hard alcohol doesn't have any fat and if you consume lower calorie drinks then you body won't be affected. This couldn't be further from the truth. The articles below goes into detail about how detrimental alcohol is to your fat loss goals, and it can't come at a better time of year as beaches and barbeque's are on the way.
"According to conventional wisdom, the infamous "beer belly" is caused by excess alcohol calories being stored as fat. Yet, less than five percent of the alcohol calories you drink are turned into fat. Rather, the main effect of alcohol is to reduce the amount of fat your body burns for energy.
Some evidence for this comes from research carried in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition [4]. Eight men were given two drinks of vodka and sugar-free lemonade separated by 30 minutes. Each drink contained just under 90 calories. Fat metabolism was measured before and after consumption of the drink. For several hours after drinking the vodka, whole body lipid oxidation (a measure of how much fat your body is burning) dropped by a massive 73%.
Rather than getting stored as fat, the main fate of alcohol is conversion into a substance called acetate. In fact, blood levels of acetate after drinking the vodka were 2.5 times higher than normal. And it appears this sharp rise in acetate puts the brakes on fat loss.
A car engine typically uses only one source of fuel. Your body, on the other hand, draws from a number of different energy sources, such as carbohydrate, fat, and protein. To a certain extent, the source of fuel your body uses is dictated by its availability.
In other words, your body tends to use whatever you feed it. Consequently, when acetate levels rise, your body simply burns more acetate, and less fat. In essence, acetate pushes fat to the back of the queue.
So, to summarize and review, here's what happens to fat metabolism after the odd drink or two.
. A small portion of the alcohol is converted into fat.
. Your liver then converts most of the alcohol into acetate.
. The acetate is then released into your bloodstream, and replaces fat as a source of fuel."
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