Alcohol

[Cuts]

O.k... me and my friend are splitting hairs on this...

Can alcohol be converted to fat or not?

Assuming one doesn't indulge in the post-drinking IHOP binge and just goes to bed instead, will lipogenesis occur overnight from that ingested alcohol?

Any biochemists out there?

 

[FarBeyondDriven]

Here's something on that,

http://www.christianfinn.com/research/alcohol.htm

 

[Cuts]

(from above link)

Why alcohol calories aren't as important as most people think...

According to conventional wisdom, the infamous "beer belly" is caused by excess alcohol calories being stored as fat.

However, researchers from the University of California have shown that less than 5% 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.

Alcohol calories
Successful weight loss is all about oxidizing (or burning), more calories than you eat. When they go on a diet, many people choose low-calorie alcoholic drinks, mainly because they contain fewer alcohol calories than their regular counterparts.

However, this recent study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, shows that even a very small amount of alcohol has a large impact on fat metabolism.

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 a massive 73%.


Here's why...
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...

1. A small portion of the alcohol is converted into fat.

2. Your liver then converts most of the alcohol into acetate.

3. The acetate is then released into your bloodstream, and replaces fat as a source of fuel.

Your bodies' response to alcohol is very similar to the way it deals with excess carbohydrate. Although carbohydrate can be converted directly into fat, one of the main effects of overfeeding with carbohydrate is that it simply replaces fat as a source of energy. That's why any type of diet, whether it's high-fat, high-protein, or high-carbohydrate, can lead to a gain in weight.

The bottom line?


Even a small amount of alcohol (this study used two servings of vodka and lemonade) can have a big impact on the rate at which your body burns fat -- even if the drink is low in calories.

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FBD: Thanks for the link bro... very interesting. But what I construe from it is this...

alcohol won't make you fat, but it will prevent you from getting lean

Is that about right would you say?

 

[FarBeyondDriven]

Yeah, about what I read. The only thing, as you said, alcohol will not really be turned into fat, the acetone will be burned as energy. Problem is what else you intake will probably be turned to fat while relying on the acetone.

Point, I don't believe many winos are fat, most look somewhat gaunt. Because they don't eat. Alot of alcoholics loose wieght due to not eating, neglecting the calories from alcohol. Beer-bellied bubbas are chewing on pork rinds and greasy meats while drinking.

Alcohol does have alot of other negative effects on the body, which has to be considered. If taken in moderation, not harmful. A beer a day is good for the kidneys. Problem is I never could stop at a beer, so I gave it up completely.

Glad you enjoyed the read. Hope you didn't self destruct too much last night.

 

[Q Modo]

Point, I don't believe many winos are fat, most look somewhat gaunt. Because they don't eat. Alot of alcoholics loose wieght due to not eating, neglecting the calories from alcohol. Beer-bellied bubbas are chewing on pork rinds and greasy meats while drinking.

- This is the gist of it. I remember reading about a study conducted showing that Alcohol can increase metabolism by over 20%. I didn`t read the study myself, and so don`t want to state that as fact, but I do think it`s correct.
- Most the info you need you just got from that link. The beer belly is a result of casual drinking throughout the day, and drinking with meals. Acetate is burned before other kcals, and very little of it will get converted and stored for later energy use. This is why heavy drinking will cause such an increase in metabolism.
- I know of some people(not really bodybuildiers) who basically become alcoholics to diet.
- The point? If you are going to get drunk, don`t eat while drinking. I don`t know how some people manage this anyway. When I`m drunk, I never even think about eating. Don`t worry too much about gaining weight from nights drinking of 1,000 kcals from alcohol, you`ll burn just about all of it off as you go.

 

[anthrax]

If you have to drink beer, eat less carbs with it

 

[Cuts]

If taken in moderation, not harmful. A beer a day is good for the kidneys. Problem is I never could stop at a beer, so I gave it up completely.

Completely? Wow. What about when you go out? You still manage to have a pretty good time sober? I hate what alcohol does to me/my physique, but it's just so much damn fun to drink!

 

[Burning_Inside]

why dont you invest in some weed intead if you're that intent on going out on the town, and being fucked up in some way while you're doing it? Won't have to worry about your diet.

 

[jboy]

Weed and dieting don't work well together. Ever heard of the munchies?

 

[Cuts]

why dont you invest in some weed instead?

B/c weed is illegal for one, but more importantly, b/c you can't exactly pimp it to the ladies when you're stoned (or at least, I couldn't way back when I used to toke).

 

[FarBeyondDriven]

B/c weed is illegal for one, but more importantly, b/c you can't exactly pimp it to the ladies when you're stoned (or at least, I couldn't way back when I used to toke).

The problem with weed is it is illegal, or I would toke. But I would not risk my career on getting high one weekend with friends.

Yeah, gave it up. My dad is a big time alcoholic, and I was headed down that path. It's not that big of a deal to going out and having fun. I don't really believe you should dependent on a chemical for fun. It takes people a little to get used to. Most really scratch their heads about me. It's funny how drinkers look upon non-drinkers, like I am going to pull out a bible and beat them with it. They get used to it.

But it does take all excuses out when you take that cow home.

 

[Cuts]

I don't really believe you should dependent on a chemical for fun.

Stuff like this is EXACTLY why I love Elite bro... thanks for the [very true] words of wisdom...