Well I just finished a 7 mile run and decided to pour myself a nice cold one. I had gone to a local brewery Rip Current the day before and got the San Diego Hefe. Seemed like the perfect thing to do on a hot day after a long run.
Most of the clients I work with drink some form a alcohol. Usually it is regular wine consumption after a long day or just because. I think it is funny all the news reports people talk about all of the health benefits of drinking wine and getting the powerful resveratrol which will make you live forever. You might be picking up on my sarcasm.
It comes down to this. If wine was such a good thing for you would you tell someone that never drinks any alcohol they should start because it will make them healthier? I hope not. Now before you get mad and post all the positive benefits of wine below hear me out.
You see, yes there are some potential benefits from regular, moderate consumption of wine, but usually the benefits are greatly overstated, and you can find the same benefits from non alcoholic foods and drinks.
I’m not a big wine connoisseur, but I do like the occasional beer and living in a city where micro brews are popping up everywhere it is awfully tempting. So if wine drinkers are trying to find ways to claim all the benefits of drinking wine and health improvements, I wanted to try and find some good research on alcohol and health or performance. Hopefully this beer I am drinking will be justified.
Will alcohol help improve fat metabolism? You probably know the answer to this one already do self experimentations in college. We can use alcohol for energy. When alcohol is broken down it forms something called acetate. This substance is shuttled to muscle tissue to be used for energy. So consuming that beer post workout means you will use acetate for energy versus fat. (1)
How about alcohol to help before a workout? Again this is probably self explanatory. The obvious inhibitory effects of alcohol and impaired cognitive function would be our first issues. But alcohol can actually impair the muscles ability to use glucose and amino acids which is critical for performance. On top of that it can actually lead to a decrease in cross sectional area with chronic intake. (1).
Ok so let’s just look at what most people do. You run a race and then grab a beer or two (or three or four…) and kick back. What effects could this have on your body? There is actually not a ton of research on this area yet but here are some early findings. Alcohol post exercise might impair your muscle ability to replace your glycogen stores. This would help prepare you for a future workout. Although there are no long term studies to see how it impairs it long term, so you might be fine unless you have another race or workout planned in less than 24 hours.
Another issue is that after your workout, especially strength training, your body is typically primed for protein synthesis so you repair damaged muscle tissue bigger and strong. Chronic and acute alcohol consumption can impair protein synthesis slowing this process down. So you beer might be slowing down your biceps for the beach this summer (2).
So I am sorry. I wish I had better groundbreaking news that your post workout beer is going to help you. But despite all this I am still savoring my wheat beverage right now knowing that it won’t help my performance. My main point of this article is to simply know your limits and own your choices.
If you want to perform at the highest level then you should cut most alcohol out of your diet. The occasional drink, if timed properly, won’t do any major damage but there are no real benefits to consuming alcohol and performing.
More importantly though is to own your decisions. I get tired of reading about all the health benefits of wine. The healthier choice is to not consume it. You can get resveratrol from other sources and antioxidants from whole foods. The point is that you shouldn’t drink anything ever again, it is to admit why you are drinking it. If you had a rough day and feel like that drink is going to help put you in a better place, then go for it. If having a drink makes you feel more comfortable in a situation, then it might be a good thing to do. Or maybe you just really like the taste or getting bombed. Whatever you decide is your call.
But don’t fool yourself that you glass of wine or other alcoholic beverage is helping you become more healthy.
Bottoms ups!
Mike Deibler MS, CSCS, SGX
Spartan Underground
