Alcohol and Weight Gain

While no study has confirmed whether alcohol is indeed a factor in weight gain, there are various theories that suggest that alcohol consumption could lead to an increase in your weight.

Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram while carbohydrates and proteins contain about 4 calories per gram and the caloric value for fat is 9 calories per gram. Coupled with the number of calories in alcohol, there is no known nutrient in it. In addition, alcohol can encourage us to eat high fat snacks or high fat desserts leading to extra calorie intake. This suggests that alcohol consumption could lead to weight gain.

The following is one theory about how alcohol contributes to increased weight - The main effect that alcohol has on your body’s mechanism is to reduce the amount of fat your body burns for energy. Rather than getting stored as fat, alcohol is converted into a substance called acetate. The body burns up the acetate for energy and the body fat is left behind contributing to the additional pounds you have gained.

Calories are not the first thing that comes to your mind when you want to drink alcohol. But remember that one 12-ounce can of beer has about 150 calories and if you drink 4-5 beers, you have had a meal’s worth of alcohol. In addition, you are most likely to eat a regular meal after or along with your drinking. So, you have actually ended up eating two meals worth of calories.

The reasons why alcohol adds to your weight could be many including:

• Genes affect how the body processes alcohol.

• Alcohol acts as a potent appetizer and if you consume a lot of cheese or other high-calorie snacks while drinking, you are most likely adding on pounds.

• Alcohol can increase your appetite and lower your testosterone levels for up to 24 hours after you finish drinking.

• Your body processes alcohol first, before fat, protein, or carbohydrates. Thus drinking slows down the burning of fat.

Some studies have found that drinking alcohol increases the waist-to-hip ratio, while some have found no relationship at all. Some researchers have found that heavy drinking reduces body fat, but still others point to evidence that it raises the risk of becoming overweight or obese.

There are also theories that suggest that alcohol consumption could lead to weight loss. The reasons for that belief could include:

• You drink a lot and the alcohol replaces food and other beverages. The result is you are most likely to lose weight.

• Alcohol appears to increase metabolic rate significantly, thus causing more calories to be burned rather than stored in the body as fat.

• Consumption of sugar decreases as consumption of alcohol increases.

The most sensible thing to do is to drink in moderation, watch what you eat and exercise. And if you have concerns about your weight gain, consult your health care provider.