How Alcohol May Make You Gain Weight

Though people may consume more calories along with alcohol, it’s also possible they’re burning some of those collective calories off later, or eating less at another point in the day, which can lower any weight gain. Well, the good news is you can still lose bodyweight from consuming alcoholic drinks if you’re doing it right. However, there is a thin line that is easy to cross if you aren’t keeping your drinking and choices under control. Alcohol consumption can lead to weight gain and increases in belly fat (4). However, the most significant cause of weight gain in the stomach due to alcohol consumption is the empty calories your body has to burn off and then consume bad foods.

Lifestyle Quizzes

“Drinking more than the recommended daily amounts for men and women or binge drinking can cause damage to your liver, leading to diseases like fatty liver and cirrhosis,” registered dietitian Jen Scheinman said. Plus, most alcoholic beverages have a lot of energy but little nutritional value, which is where the term ‘empty calories’ comes from. Under the influence of alcohol, individuals may make less health-conscious food choices. Impaired judgment can lead to indulgence in does drinking liquor make you gain weight high-calorie, unhealthy snacks and meals that contribute to weight gain over time. Wine and beer are rich in carbohydrates and increase blood sugar levels with each consumption.

It Can Impact the Quality of Your Sleep

The ADH gene family encodes enzymes that metabolize various substances, including ethanol. The activity of these enzymes varies across different organs drug addiction (see Table 1). When ethanol is present, the metabolism of the other substances that ADH acts on may be inhibited, which may contribute to ethanol-induced tissue damage.

• Also drinking a lot of water makes you feel full and you may end up drinking less alcohol, thereby avoiding those extra calories.
• The second reason is that wine or alcohol for that matter tends to stimulate your appetite receptors and you tend to overeat.
• For example, there are many different low-calorie beers, many of which contain about 100 calories per beer — and low-calorie beers can have as few as 55 calories per beer.
• We chatted with Destini Moody, RDN, CSSD, LD, a registered dietitian and sports dietitian with Garage Gym Reviews, who shares 10 popular drinks to avoid if you’re trying to lose belly fat.
• A 7-ounce mixed drink, like rum and Coke, would likely have about the same amount of calories (155 calories) as a 12-ounce beer.

Alcohol can contribute to excess belly fat

For example, ROS stimulate the release of TNF-α from Kupffer cells. This cytokine plays an important role in activating inflammatory reactions that can contribute to tissue damage and scar tissue formation (i.e., fibrosis) in the liver. In addition, ROS can interact with lipids, proteins, and DNA in a process called peroxidation, which can have harmful consequences. For example, as described in the previous section, lipid peroxidation leads to the generation of MDA and HNE. The release of a compound called cytochrome c into the cytosol, for example, induces a chain of biochemical reactions that ultimately causes a certain type of cell death (i.e., cell suicide, or apoptosis).

• Intake of alcoholic beverages can also inhibit proper digestive function.
• For example, as described in the previous section, lipid peroxidation leads to the generation of MDA and HNE.
• This cytokine plays an important role in activating inflammatory reactions that can contribute to tissue damage and scar tissue formation (i.e., fibrosis) in the liver.
• Under the influence of alcohol, individuals may make less health-conscious food choices.
• Last, alcohol consumption can affect hormone levels, which may increase the risk of breast cancer, according to the surgeon general report.

Can You Sweat Out Alcohol? A Quick Breakdown.

Quantitatively, however, this is considered a minor pathway of alcohol oxidation, except in the fasted state (Handler and Thurman 1990). Chronic alcohol consumption by rats has been shown to result in increased H2O2 production in pericentral regions of the liver and increased catalase activity (Misra et al. 1992). The role of CYP2E1 and catalase in alcohol metabolism in the brain are described in detail elsewhere (Zimatkin and Deitrich 1997). Speaking with a dietitian can be helpful to lower your body mass index and drop weight.

Health conditions that cause weight gain

The nonoxidative metabolism of alcohol is minimal, but its products may have pathological and diagnostic relevance. One leads to the formation of molecules called fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) from the reaction of alcohol with fatty acids––weak organic acids that play functional roles in human cells. The other nonoxidative pathway results in the formation of a type of fat molecule (i.e., lipid) containing phosphorus (i.e, phospholipid) known as phosphatidyl ethanol (see Figure 2). FAEEs are detectable in serum and other tissues after alcohol ingestion and persist long after alcohol is eliminated.

Indirect effect: alcohol’s tipping point

“Frappuccinos and sugary lattes are great ways to treat yourself after a hard day once in a while, but many people make the mistake of believing these drinks can replace a regular cup of coffee,” Moody explains. One gram of alcohol contains 7.1 calories, and commonly consumed drinks can range from about 100 to 200-plus calories. However, despite your average drink’s seemingly significant calorie count, these beverages don’t contribute to weight gain as much as calorie-counting math suggests they should. Dry red wine, in comparison to other wines, has more antioxidants that have a positive influence on your body when consumed in moderation (10). It is also important that you keep in mind the level of alcohol present in your wine bottle.

Alcohol Is Harming Your Gut Why That Matters + How To Heal

(1)  Even if within https://ecosoberhouse.com/ the recommended moderate drinking guidelines, drinking can increase caloric intake and decrease energy expenditure, as alcohol is high in calories with no nutritional value. Take a 2018 study published in the journal Obesity, which examined data from 4,901 overweight or obese individuals with Type 2 diabetes who had participated in a yearslong weight loss program. One group received intensive lifestyle interventions, and was told about the number of calories in alcohol. Members of this group were advised that they could decrease drinking as a means of reducing caloric intake. The other group served as a control, and members were invited to three sessions each year focused on diet, physical activity, or social support. Just as how you avoid eating your meals late at night, avoid drinking wine late at night as your body tends to break down wine instead of burning fat.