Does alcohol make you gain weight? Alcohol will make you gain weight because it has empty calories with very few nutrients that your body needs. If you go out drinking for one night you can potentially consume hundreds of calories in just one setting. Alcoholic drinks that have mixers, fruit juice or soda in them contain more calories than just an alcoholic drink by itself.
A high consumption of alcohol can lead to alcoholic fatty liver. This is a condition that can damage your liver which can affect the way your body metabolizes and stores carbs and fats. Changes in the way your body stores food can affect your ability to lose weight.
Does alcohol make you gain weight? Photo credit: iStock-igorr1
Excessive Alcohol Can Lead To Impaired Digestion
Excessive alcohol can lead to impaired digestion and affect the absorption of nutrients in your body. All of this can play a role in weight management.
There are several studies that link alcohol consumption to weight gain particularly in men. Alcohol contains more calories per gram than carbs and protein. And one of the reasons why alcoholic drinks are high in calories is because it is loaded with sugar.
Excessive alcohol and heavy drinking can increase the risk of insulin resistance and blood sugar problems.
According to the National Institutes of Health here is the amount of alcohol drinks with the least number of calories:
- Brandy- Cognac- 98 calories per 1.5 oz
- Champagne- 84 calories per 1.5 oz
- Red Wine- 125 calories per 1.5 oz
- Gin, Rum, Vodka, Tequila per 1.5 oz
Gaining weight with alcohol will always come down to the calories of the drink. If you consume 4 or more alcoholic drinks in one night that is several hundred calories just right by itself, so it adds up very quickly. Foods that are high in simple sugars such as candy, soda, beer are also high in calories. And excess calories are what stores as fat in the body.
Moderate alcohol consumption would be considered 1 alcoholic drink per day.
Some of the other things that alcohol can affect is your sleep. Research studies have shown that alcohol can lead to increased periods of wakefulness during sleep cycle.
Excessive alcohol Affects Your Testosterone Levels
Alcohol also affects your testosterone levels. Testosterone is a sex hormone and is responsible for your sex drive, increasing muscle mass and fat burning capabilities. High alcohol consumption can lower your testosterone levels which affects your sleep quality.
“Alcohol will make you gain weight because it has empty calories with very few nutrients that your body needs.”- Celebrity Fitness & Nutrition Expert Obi Obadike
The Bottom Line is if you can cut out alcohol from your diet you will lose a lot of weight just by itself. Alcohol contains a lot of empty calories because it is high in sugar and low in nutrients.
The extra sugar content in it increases the calories of any alcoholic drink.
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References
- National Institute Of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism- https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh25-2/101-109.htm
- Sayon-Orea C, Martinez-Gonzalez MA, Bes-Rastrollo M. Alcohol consumption and body weight: a systematic review. Nutr Rev. 2011 Aug;69(8):419-31. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2011.00403.x. PMID: 21790610.
- Shelton NJ, Knott CS. Association between alcohol calorie intake and overweight and obesity in English adults. Am J Public Health. 2014 Apr;104(4):629-31. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301643. Epub 2014 Feb 13. PMID: 24524529; PMCID: PMC4025698.
- Tayie FA, Beck GL. Alcoholic beverage consumption contributes to caloric and moisture intakes and body weight status. Nutrition. 2016 Jul-Aug;32(7-8):799-805. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2016.01.013. Epub 2016 Jan 29. PMID: 27138106.
- Tatsumi Y, Morimoto A, Asayama K, Sonoda N, Miyamatsu N, Ohno Y, Miyamoto Y, Izawa S, Ohkubo T. Association between alcohol consumption and incidence of impaired insulin secretion and insulin resistance in Japanese: The Saku study. Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2018 Jan;135:11-17. doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2017.10.021. Epub 2017 Oct 28. PMID: 29111281.
- Sayon-Orea C, Martinez-Gonzalez MA, Bes-Rastrollo M. Alcohol consumption and body weight: a systematic review. Nutr Rev. 2011 Aug;69(8):419-31. doi: 10.1111/j.1753-4887.2011.00403.x. PMID: 21790610.
- Snopek L, Mlcek J, Sochorova L, Baron M, Hlavacova I, Jurikova T, Kizek R, Sedlackova E, Sochor J. Contribution of Red Wine Consumption to Human Health Protection. Molecules. 2018 Jul 11;23(7):1684. doi: 10.3390/molecules23071684. PMID: 29997312; PMCID: PMC6099584.
- Schrieks IC, Heil AL, Hendriks HF, Mukamal KJ, Beulens JW. The effect of alcohol consumption on insulin sensitivity and glycemic status: a systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention studies. Diabetes Care. 2015 Apr;38(4):723-32. doi: 10.2337/dc14-1556. PMID: 25805864.
- Gunji T, Matsuhashi N, Sato H, Iijima K, Fujibayashi K, Okumura M, Sasabe N, Urabe A. Alcohol consumption is inversely correlated with insulin resistance, independent of metabolic syndrome factors and fatty liver diseases. J Clin Gastroenterol. 2011 Oct;45(9):808-13. doi: 10.1097/MCG.0b013e318223bd53. PMID: 21694610.
