When alcohol is consumed, it easily passes through the stomach lining and intestinal wall into the blood. In the liver, an enzyme known as alcohol dehydrogenase converts ethanol into acetaldehyde. Since acetaldehyde is a deadly toxin, the liver rapidly breaks it down to carbon dioxide and water, which are then removed from the body in the urine (water) and breath (carbon dioxide). Since 100% of all alcohol consumed is denatured, it does not pose a direct threat to our waistlines.

Some would argue that alcoholic beverages cause a stimulus to the appetite, decreased physical activity, possible suppression of the BMR, and consumption of inherent non-alcohol calories from malt (beer, ale, malt liquor) and sugar (dessert wines) – all contributing to weight gain. Undeniable. But do the contentions support the end result? It seems like everyone has an overweight, beer-drinking cousin or brother-in-law whose sole exercise is changing channels on the remote. Was it the brews, snacks, couch-potato lifestyle, all the above, or all of the above and something else that created the beer gut? Even more fundamental, does anyone who consumes 1 to 2 six-packs a night represent the norm? Probably not. According to population averages analyzed in the first NHANES study1 (National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey), drinkers had significantly higher calorie intakes than non-drinkers but were not more obese. In fact, women who drank had significantly lower body weights than non-drinkers. And, surprisingly, as alcohol intake among men increased, body weights decreased. In NHANES II2 , similar results were found for women. The results for men were inconsistent.

Other research has also produced counter-intuitive results. For instance:

• Lean individuals tend not to gain weight when alcohol is added to their diets. However, many overweight men and women gain weight when alcoholic beverages are added to their normal diets. (See references 3 & 4)
• When heavy drinkers (3 or more drinks per day) substitute alcohol for dietary carbohydrate calories, they lose weight and weigh less than similar individuals who do not drink. (See references 5 & 6)
• In another study of long-term heavy drinkers, alcohol added to the diet did not cause weight gain. (See reference 5)

Bottom Line
Alcoholic beverages can never be recommended as therapeutic population-wide lifestyle adjuncts. The potential for abuse, increased risk of disease (some cancers, liver disease, dementia, etc.), and other “cons” simply outweigh the “pros”. However, for light to moderate drinkers (2 drinks per day or less) who do not have a genetic predisposition toward obesity, alcohol consumption will not add unwanted pounds. And the best news of all: Weight loss is encouraged in social drinkers who are willing replace a few hundred carbohydrate calories with with the 1-2 drinks normally consumed each day.

References

1. Gruchow, H.W.; Sobocinski, K.A.; Barboriak, J.J.; and Scheller, J.G. Alcohol Consumption, Nutrient Intake and Relative Body Weight Among U.S. Adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 42:289-295, 1985.
2. Colditz, G.A.; Giovannucci, E.; Rimm, E.B.; Stampfer, M.J.; Rosner, B.; Speizer, F.E.; Gordis, E.; and Willett, W.C. Alcohol Intake in Relation to Diet and Obesity in Women and Men. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 54:49-55, 1991.
3. Clevidence, B.A.; Taylor, P.R.; Campbell, W.S.; and Judd, J.T. Lean and Heavy Women May Not Use Energy from Alcohol With Equal Efficiency. Journal of Nutrition 125(10):2536-2540, 1995.
4. Crouse, J.R. and Grundy, S.M. Effects of Aalcohol on Plasma Lipoproteins and Cholesterol and Triglyceride Metabolism in Man. Journal of Lipid Research 25:486-496, 1984.
5. Lieber, C.S. Perspectives: Do Alcohol Calories Count? American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 54:976-982, 1991.
6. Reinus, J.F.; Heymsfield, S.B.; Wiskind, R.; Casper, K.; and Galambos, J.T. Ethanol: Relative Fuel Value and Metabolic Effects in Vivo. Metabolism 38(2):125-135, 1989.

[ back to articles menu ]