Alcohol and fat-burning

If you’re serious about your health, fitness, and athletic performance and you want
the maximum possible benefit from your program, you should drink alcoholic beverages
in moderation or not at all. “Moderation” is usually defined as one drink for women, two
drinks for men. One or two drinks won’t do much harm, and may even have some health
benefits such as increased HDL, the good type of cholesterol. Excessive alcohol
consumption will definitely compromise the results you'll get from your nutrition and
training program.

Alcohol has the second highest calorie density of all food types

At 7 calories per gram, Alcohol is the 2nd most calorie dense nutrient behind fat,
which contains 9 calories per gram. Therefore, alcohol contributes a large number of
calories to your total daily intake above and beyond the food you normally consume.
Because the alcohol is metabolized by the liver, the alcohol is not converted directly into
body fat. But this doesn't mean that drinking alcohol won't make you fat.

Alcohol suppresses the body's ability to burn body fat

The body has no storage capacity for alcohol like it does for carbohydrates and
fats. Since alcohol must be detoxified as quickly as possible, the oxidation of the alcohol
takes top priority over the oxidation of other macronutrients. In other words, while the
liver is busy metabolizing alcohol, the utilization of fats, carbohydrates, and protein has
to be temporarily suppressed. The burning of fats is suppressed the most, because it’s
positioned at the bottom of the oxidative hierarchy. Lyle McDonald, author of “The
Ketogenic Diet” says, “The consumption of alcohol will almost completely impair the
body’s use of fat for fuel.” In the book “Power Eating,” dietician Susan Kleiner writes,
“Alcohol puts fat metabolism on hold. It’s not your friend if you’re trying to stay lean.”
When alcohol is in your system, your body will simply convert more of the food
you normally eat into body fat. Regardless of whether the calories come from food or
drinks, if you consume more calories than your body needs, the excess will be stored as
fat. Since most people usually consume their alcohol in addition to food instead of as a
substitute for it, the accumulation of body fat is usually the result.

Alcohol provides little or no nutritional value

Alcoholic beverages provide little or no nutritional value. Alcohol is empty
calories just like refined sugar is empty calories. There are trace amounts of some
vitamins and minerals, but they’re present in such tiny quantities that their nutritional
value is insignificant. Aside from providing some energy in the form of a small quantity
of carbohydrates, alcohol is empty calories.

Alcohol interferes with the absorption of nutrients

If the lack of nutritional value isn’t bad enough, alcohol actually depletes the body
of vitamins and minerals from other foods you eat. Alcohol irritates the lining of the
stomach and intestinal tract and interferes with proper digestion and absorption of vital
nutrients. The metabolization of alcohol by the liver uses up the B vitamins niacin and
thiamin. Alcohol can also decrease your body’s ability to metabolize zinc.

Alcohol is a poison

Alcohol is a toxin. It’s essentially a poison that must be detoxified by the body.

Alcohol dehydrates you

Alcohol is a potent diuretic. It draws water out of the cells and increases the loss
of water through the kidneys. The increased fluid output can cause the loss of watersoluble
minerals and all of the other negative effects of dehydration.

Alcohol contributes to numerous health problems

Alcohol has been associated with

"one drink for women, two drinks for men"

эт че, каждый день??


по-моему, эт когда-т наывалось алкоголизмом:)

Лучше пить чем херню всякую читать.

--
Most courteous of drunks.

Medical journalist Robert Kowalski points out that throughout history physicians have prescribed alcohol for its health benefits. They practiced without the benefit of science. However, “today, we have the scientific proof that drinking in moderation is actually good for most people.” He explains that

“In most cases, one can find research studies that back up one side of an issue and other reports in defense of the opposite. ... Rarely do investigators come to the same conclusion in study after study, with little or no equivocation. But that’s the situation with alcohol and heart health.

“Data have come in from all over the world. Studies have focused on both men and women, various age groups, and people of many ethnic groups. The conclusion remains the same: those who drink moderately live longer and have less risk of developing heart disease than those who abstain from alcohol. Published papers now total in the many hundreds.

“Still, some naysayers had their doubts. Perhaps the teetotalers previously drank excessively and had undermined their health, thus explaining their high levels of risk. In response, later studies excluded all but those who had avoided alcohol for their entire lives. The conclusion remained the same: alcohol confers protection against CHD (cardiovascular heart disease), and drinkers live longer than nondrinkers.” 1

As well known medical authority Dean Edell, M.D., asserts that “you would have to be living on another planet not to know that alcohol -- in moderation -- is good for your health.” 2

But which alcoholic beverage is the best choice? Dr. Edell explains that there are “differences of opinion about whether beer, wine, or liquor offers the quickest route to a longer life. Of ten major studies, one-third found this true for wine, one-third for beer, and one-third for liquor. Most researchers now believe that it is the alcohol in all of them that provides the magic, but they don’t rule out other components of alcoholic beverages.” 3

Of course, drinking alcohol is contraindicated for some people such as alcoholics, pregnant women, and those whose physician has recommended abstinence.

http://www2.potsdam.edu/alcohol-info/HealthIssues/1074864884.html