Expert: Minoo Date: 4/25/2008 Subject: burning off alcohol
Question Can the body burn off alcohol with exercise? Some say no and some say yes.Those who say no claim that it cannot be burnt off and is bound to be stored in the lever, which will take its own time to metabolize it(with time) no matter how hard one exercises. If yes, can I take 3-4 drinks daily and hope burn it off with a half an hour walk? Since I'm into body building, but also also an alcoholic addict, this is an important question for me.
Answer Hello Rahul
It is important to understand that all calories are not the same. Fat has nine calories in every gram, alcohol has seven and protein and carbohydrate have four calories. Purely when considering ‘input versus output' fat calories are more fattening. Alcohol places second, but interestingly, our bodies don't actually store alcohol. In fact, your body will burn alcohol calories before anything else, so the intake of calories is not the problem with alcohol, it is actually the fat that doesn't get burnt up because your body is so busy eliminating the alcohol calories.
Here's what happens to fat metabolism after the odd drink or two.
. A small portion of the alcohol is converted into fat.
. Your liver then converts most of the alcohol into acetate.
. The acetate is then released into your bloodstream, and replaces fat as a source of fuel.
Not only does too much alcohol put the brakes on fat loss, it's also one of the most effective ways to slash your testosterone levels. Just a single bout of heavy drinking raises levels of the muscle-wasting hormone cortisol and increases the breakdown of testosterone for up to 24 hours.The damaging effects of alcohol on testosterone are made even worse when you exercise before drinking.
So, what's the bottom line?
Although an alcohol-rich meal does increase your metabolic rate, it also suppresses the number of fat calories your body burns for energy — far more so than meals rich in protein, carbohydrate, or fat. While the odd drink now and again isn't going to hurt, the bottom line is that alcohol and a leaner, stronger body just doesn't mix.
Finally a word of warning, although you may be able to increase your physical activity to help prevent weight gain from alcohol intake, you should keep your intake within safe levels as your liver still has to remove the alcohol from your body.
