Expert: Brandon Briggs, MS - 4/6/2008

Question
Can the body burn off alcohol with exercise? I have heard that the body cannot burn off alcohol and that it can be metabolized only through the liver, which takes time. So that means I cannot have 3 drinks everyday, and then hope to burn it off with a one hour walk, right? To sum up, it means that I cannot drink everyday and hope to burn it off with daily exercise???

Answer
Alcohol contains 7 kcals per gram. The liver metabolizes the alcohol at a fixed rate. This is why it is not a good source of fuel during exercise. It just can not meet the demand for fuel during exercise. Even if exercise used the calories from alcohol for fuel, an hour walk would not burn all of the calories from three drinks. So yes to answer your question you can not expect to burn all of the calories from your daily drinks from exercise. I suggest having a sound exercise program that involves cardio and strength training. Building more muscle will allow your body to be more efficient during times of inactivity. The more efficient your body is a burning calories at rest, the more alcohol calories you will be able to burn.