# Alcohol and fat Metabolism.



## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

Grabbed this from Bikers (http://www.muscleweb.org) board from newgrowth.

I thought this is a good read for the guys that drink and want to lose body fat and find it hard to do.

Alcohol And Fat Metabolism:

From metabolic diet

The main problem with alcohol is not the number of calories it contains but rather the effect is has on fat metabolism. A recent study, for example, has shown that even small amounts of alcohol has a large impact on fat metabolism.

In this study eight men were given two drinks of vodka and 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 73%.

The reason why alcohol has this dramatic effect on fat metabolism has to do with the way alcohol is handled in the body. When alcohol is consumed, it readily passes from the stomach and intestines into the blood and goes to the liver. In the liver, an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase mediates the conversion of alcohol to acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is rapidly converted to acetate by other enzymes. So rather than getting stored as fat, the main fate of alcohol is conversion into acetate, the amount of acetate formed is dose dependant on the amount of alcohol consumed. For example, 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.

The type of fuel your body uses is dictated to some extent by availability. This is one of the reasons for the induction phase of the Metabolic Diet. By severely limiting your carb intake your body is forced to rev up it's fat burning machinery, so that you become fat adapted, and increase the use of protein for some of the functions, such as anaplerosis, that carbs are usually heavily involved in.

In other words, your body tends to use whatever you feed it, and after a time becomes adapted to the macronutrient intake. Unfortunately when acetate levels rise, your body burns the acetate preferentially, since acetate is basically the same product of beta oxidation of fatty acids and glycolysis (glucose to pyruvate to acetate), but it doesn't' require the metabolic work to produce. So the body simply burns the acetate first, and with the rapid rise seen with alcohol intake, basically pushes fat oxidation out of the metabolic equation.

Because acetate is readily formed from alcohol it can be worse than taking in carbs as far as affecting fat metabolism. That's because glucose has to be sequentially metabolized through various steps to form acetate while acetate is formed from alcohol in just a few steps. Also alcohol, because of it can be considered part way between carbs and fats, has more calories than carbs. That's why even the low carb beers contain under 100 calories even though they only have about 2.5 grams of carbs and .5 grams of protein. While the carbs and protein only make up 12 calories, the 12 grams of alcohol make up the remaining 80 or so calories.


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## philipebrown (Nov 26, 2003)

were all up sh*t creek then


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## powerU (Oct 22, 2003)

yep


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## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

Mee too!!!


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## Biker (Apr 8, 2003)

IMHO there's no room for alcohol if you're a bodybuilder.


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## AussieMarc (Jun 13, 2004)

My dad told me that his theory of alcohol, if you drink on an empty stomach you won't store as much fat as if you drink on a full stomach and the alcohol will just go straight to your liver rather than sitting and adding to your fat storage.

He is into the human body medically rather than anything else (All you have to see is his beer gut to understand me there)

Great article Hacks.


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## turbo (Nov 23, 2003)

Interesting article there. I was thinking the other day about when I used to get slaughtered every night on vodka, I had the lowest bodyfat level ive ever had. Ive always thought that for some reason or another vodka must contain some excellent fat burning content or something. Now I know it must have been pure co-incidence!


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## Sven (Feb 16, 2005)

Very Scary - I had been into the theory that vodka was better than beer - obviously not...good artivcle


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## ChefX (Jan 10, 2005)

hmm funny

I just finished an article on the metabolism and the liver and how a glass of wine, beer or liquor actually speeds the fat loss process (and liver healing) hence its use in the diatia

but I don't have time to go into it now.


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## particleastro (Aug 18, 2004)

sweet, so youre saying the amount of alcohol is more important than the drink itself, one more reason to drink ale!!


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## Cookie (Sep 14, 2009)

A small article I found

The Real Story Behind The Benefits of Red Wine

Researchers have successfully converted chalcone synthase, a biosynthetic protein enzyme in all higher plants, into a resveratrol synthase. An element of red wine, resveratrol has been found, in a number of studies, to provide a wonderful list of health benefits:

An antioxidant

Cancer-preventing agent

Blood thinner

Blood pressure lowering compound

Anti-aging chemical

The surprising fact about resveratrol found by researchers: This compound is produced by grapes as a defense against fungi.

For a long time, scientists knew chalcones and stilbenes (individual classes of natural products in plants with different properties) were created by closely related enzymatic proteins. Chalcone chemicals provide a number of important biological functions in all higher plants including roles in fertility, disease resistance and flower color. Conversely, resveratrol and other rare anti-fungal stilbenes are produced in just a few plants, including blueberries and pine trees.

After discovering the differences between these related plant enzymes, researchers converted the chalcone synthase in alfalfa into a resveratrol-producing compound by reconfiguring a handful of amino acids. The resulting advance will allow scientists to develop natural resveratrol production in crops with a small modification of the plant's chalcone synthase gene that already takes place in grapes.


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## Boxer (Feb 19, 2005)

The problem with alcohol for women is there is evidence that even in small amounts it can increase the risk of breast cancer.

The risk of cancer increases for men the more you drink. In moderation it's probably ok looking at the evidence.

Alcoholic free beer is also good for the heart. This isn't normally mentioned.


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## big (Sep 14, 2004)

Boxer said:


> Alcoholic free beer is also good for the heart. This isn't normally mentioned.


What's in it that's good for the heart mate?


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## Boxer (Feb 19, 2005)

To be honest I don't know.

I've just done a search and I found this if you're interested http://www.bierengezondheid.be/index_eng.jsp?Page=Doc1642&Doc=alc_en_lichaam

I have seen another study that showed a benefit of alcohol free beer by a different mechanism ( improving the health of the artery wall if I remember rightly ) but I can not find the study now.


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## Carlos901 (Nov 5, 2004)

alcohol = dead callories, wich your body doesnt need/use


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## samurai691436114498 (Jan 6, 2005)

Bump this for next week, when i sober up


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## nomore1324 (Jan 15, 2005)

umm..i think in general you find you are more healthy abstaining than trying to figure out ways around it.


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## ChefX (Jan 10, 2005)

as you all know I endorse one drink a day... why?

stress reduction, it is shown that no other drug reduces stress better than 1 (not 5) drink a day. it is so effective it can mean the difference betwen gains and not

second reason... alcohol actually is a liver tonic at 1 drink a day boosting its performance

I could go on and on, the point is in moderation it works to boost performance at more it hurts it worse


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## samurai691436114498 (Jan 6, 2005)

ChefX said:


> as you all know I endorse one drink a day... why?


I only have the 1, just in a litre Glass  :beer:


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## Nexus 6 (Oct 25, 2004)

I also endorse one drink a day!


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## Nexus 6 (Oct 25, 2004)

:beer: Cheers!


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## NikiE (Feb 23, 2005)

ChefX said:


> as you all know I endorse one drink a day... why?
> 
> stress reduction, it is shown that no other drug reduces stress better than 1 (not 5) drink a day. it is so effective it can mean the difference betwen gains and not
> 
> ...


Does that mean that i am going to have to cut down then...in moderation doesnt man a bottle of red a night does it?? LOL


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## ChefX (Jan 10, 2005)

nikie if I tell you the secret can you handle the answer without abusing it?

The actual guidelines are 1 to 3 drinks over an entire day (one at a sitting) when you hit the 3 drink level it can start to show no benefits like no alcohol, but when you pass the 3 drink mark it goes off the chart. At 4 drinks in males it lowers test and over stresses the liver. So we keep the number safe by saying one. Now as a bodybuilder or better yet an athlete you already stress the liver some as well so we suggest just one. If you take AAS we suggest none, but after a week off then go back to one. Alcohol has been shown to be one of the most heart protective foods at 1 to 3 drinks a day.(For you Americans and the worldwide bodybuilders who overdo everything that is 1 drink Not 5!!!)


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## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

What only 5? 

I guess I will have to cut back


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## Captain Hero (Jun 13, 2004)

*bump* good read, currently enjoying my one glass of wine per night, especially since im not paying for it


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## MarcE (Mar 28, 2006)

so should i be getting ****ed on red wine rather than beer and vodka ?


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## pawfecshun (Apr 26, 2006)

I have just joined this forum, and found this article very interesting indeed as I am quite partial to a glass of wine or two. I am not a body builder ( sorry ) but love the gym , and thought some of the info on this forum would be helpful to me, as I am trying to lose weight, not gain muscle, just tone up.

Thanks for the article, it explains alot 

First post too lol


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## Captain Hero (Jun 13, 2004)

pawfecshun said:


> I have just joined this forum, and found this article very interesting indeed as I am quite partial to a glass of wine or two. I am not a body builder ( sorry ) but love the gym , and thought some of the info on this forum would be helpful to me, as I am trying to lose weight, not gain muscle, just tone up.
> 
> Thanks for the article, it explains alot
> 
> First post too lol


Welcome to the board mate, we have loads more posts like that and a lot of very knowledgable individuals here. Why dont you make a post and introduce yourself


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## Tatyana (Jan 29, 2006)

*Influence of Moderate Drinking on Purine and*

*
Carbohydrate Metabolism*
​
*
*



Kusuki Nishioka, Takayuki Sumida, Masako Iwatani, Aki Kusumoto, Yoshiyuki Ishikura, Haruyo Hatanaka, Hideko Yomo,

Hirofumi Kohda, Toshihiko Ashikari, Yuji Shibano, and Yoshihide Suwa
​


*Background: *We examined the influences of a moderate intake level of three types of alcoholic beverages-

beer, whisky, and Shochu (Japanese distilled liquor)-on purine and carbohydrate metabolism and

excretion in healthy male volunteers, concerning (1) the extent of contribution of purine bodies contained

in beer to uric acid metabolism and (2) a comparison between two types of distilled spirits with (whisky) and

without (Shochu) aging in oak wood barrel storage.
​


*Methods: *Three sets of studies were conducted in which 10 to 13 healthy adult men were instructed to

drink three types of alcoholic beverages at a slightly higher level (0.8 ml of ethanol equivalent/kg body

weight) than moderate drinking (approximately 30.4 ml or less for men). A low purine beer was testmanufactured

by treating nucleosides that were contained in wort and remained in beer with purine

nucleoside phosphorylase derived from Ochrobacterium anthropi, thereby converting them into corresponding

purine bases that were easily assimilated by beer yeast.
​


*Results: *Although beer intake enhanced the level of serum uric acid by 13.6%, blood glucose by 26.7%,

and insulin level by 5.1-fold, drinking a moderate level of distilled liquor (whisky, Shochu) did not increase

the serum uric acid level or the other two parameters. The serum uric acid level observed after drinking beer

with a purine body concentration reduced by 28% (68% in nucleosides and purine bases) was almost

identical to the level observed after drinking regular beer. Whisky has been found to have a property that

decreases the serum uric acid level. Excretion of uric acid from blood is increased by 27% after drinking

whisky.
​


*Conclusions: *Moderate drinking of distilled liquors did not enhance serum uric acid level, blood glucose,

or insulin level in healthy male subjects. Increased serum uric acid after beer intake could not be explained

mostly with their purine body congeners. Whisky showed the eliminative property in serum uric acid

through excretion of it from blood to urine. At a moderate drinking level, beer and whisky have different

effects on purine metabolism or excretion.
​


*Key Words: *Moderate drinking, Purine body, Uric acid, Insulin, Beer, Whisky.

Conclusion, drink spirits for your moderate tipple!

x

x

x

T
​


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