Alcohol and Fat Metabolism: Does Drinking Make You Gain Weight?

Research suggests alcohol increases appetite and enhances satisfaction with meals. Studies also found that dieters and restrained eaters reported more binge drinking than unrestrained eaters. People who dieted also said when they drank, they were more likely to lower inhibition and consume forbidden foods . National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health from people when they were in their late teens and early twenties and again when they were in their mid- to late-twenties and early thirties. If someone was already obese, they had a 35 percent higher risk of staying that way and gaining more weight.

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Can You Drink Alcohol and Still Lose Weight?

Directly drinking alcohol makes consuming an excess of energy very easy. Binge drinking (roughly defined as 3+ drinks in one sitting) can, directly and indirectly, affect your weight and health.

These studies also don’t take into consideration individual differences. Even when two people of the same weight have a similar diet, adding alcohol to the mix might have different consequences for each person. Heavy alcohol use can also cause the opposite effect and cause people to lose weight. This is because heavy drinkers will develop the sense of being full from drinking alcohol and no longer feel a desire to eat.

Alcohol Makes You Eat More

Health.com uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. When you drink, a significant portion of the alcohol is absorbed into your bloodstream, and then it is distributed through most tissues in your body.

Monounsaturated fats and so-called “belly fat” diets won’t trim your belly faster than any healthy, low-calorie diet, Jensen says. A 12-ounce craft beer runs about 170 calories , according to MedlinePlus. The reason for this difference, compared with commercial beers, is that craft beers often have extra ingredients and carbs that amp up their flavor. Though the latter may lead you to drink less than you would when sitting with a light beer, ultimately craft beers tend to have higher alcohol content, and more alcohol means more calories. Curiously, the increase in adiponectin after alcohol consumption did not significantly alter insulin sensitivity, but there was a decrease in intramuscular triglyceride content of ~15-20% . This could signify a potential mechanism for how adiponectin reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome since high IMTG content is correlated with impaired glucose disposal/insulin resistance . If you’ve ever attempted to lose weight you’ve likely been told to have an exercise plan eat healthy and give up alcohol.

Alcohol Addiction Treatment Options

What’s more, all that extra imbibing likely isn’t aiding any slim-down efforts. While liquor is a lower-calorie option, it really depends on what you drink with it. Mixers can add a lot of extra sugar and fat to the drink, increasing calorie intake. does alcohol make you gain weight Again, you can drink and still lose weight—just keep it within moderate levels and you should be fine. Bedrock Recovery Center offers 100% confidential substance abuse assessment and treatment placement tailored to your individual needs.

Although there is evidence to suggest that frequent alcohol intake may predispose to weight gain or obesity over the long-term, this effect is not strongly reflected in the recent research. First, it has been found that alcohol intake increases energy expenditure, likely due in part to the fact that it has a high thermogenic effect . It has also been suggested that some of the energy ingested as alcohol is ‘wasted’, due to the activation of the inefficient hepatic microsomal ethanol-oxidizing system . The MEOS is induced through chronic alcohol intake, and the level of induction increases with increased intake . Oxidation of alcohol via the MEOS produces less ATP than oxidation via alcohol dehydrogenase, using the energy from alcohol intake primarily to enhance heat production . The extent to which wasted energy from regular alcohol consumption contributes to weight gain prevention is unclear.

Indirect effect: poor sleep quality

Alcohol intake can cause weight gain in a lot of different ways. Alcohol itself doesn’t do your waistline any favors but what we tend to eat and mix with alcohol doesn’t help either. https://ecosoberhouse.com/ Consider the multiple ways alcohol can lead to weight gain. Alcohol itself doesn’t do your waistline any favors but what we tend to eat and mix with alcohol doesn’t help either.

• The same principle applies to people who drink alcohol late at night.
• The stomach, liver, and intestines are crucial to your body getting the nutrients it needs.
• Alcohol inhibits fat oxidation, suggesting that frequent alcohol consumption could lead to fat sparing, and thus higher body fat in the long term .
• Predictors of increased body weight and waist circumference for middle-aged adults.
• Treatment options for alcohol addiction come in both inpatient and outpatient options depending on your needs.

People who wish to continue drinking can opt for wine, unmixed spirits, or low alcohol beer in moderate quantities. Drinking alcohol relaxes people’s inhibitions, which can make them more likely to overeat or opt for unhealthful foods. There are plenty of beer products and mixed drinks that offer lite options .

Alcohol, the Liver, and Fat Metabolism

There’s also evidence that alcohol can influence hormones linked to feeling full, such as leptin, a hormone that suppresses appetite, and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), which inhibits food intake. The end result is eating more food than usual because signals to stop eating are blunted by alcohol. “This is paired with the fact that alcohol lowers inhibitions, meaning many people reach for foods that they’d normally avoid, such as those high in fat or sodium,” Hultin added. First,alcohol can cause weight gain simply because it has calories.

• Previous research found that women reported feeling more full after drinking sparkling water, compared with flat.
• They break down food into the basic macro- and micronutrients that are absorbed and used by the body.
• Alcohol has also been shown to lower inhibitions and stimulate appetite7, which can make it harder to stick to your weight-loss diet.
• People who drink a lot tend to be sick more often and may not feel up to eating like they used to.