Is alcohol fattening?

Any food or drink can be 'fattening' if you consume more calories than you need. Alcohol itself provides 7 kcallg, and many alcoholic drinks also have quite a high sugar/carbohydrate content, boosting the total calorie content further. Excess calories from alcoholic drinks can, therefore, lead to fat gain.

What exactly happens to alcohol in the body?

When you drink alcohol, about 20% is absorbed into the bloodstream through the stomach and the remainder through the small intestine. Most of this alcohol is then broken down in the liver (it cannot be stored as it is toxic) into a substance called acetyl CoA and then, ultimately, into ATP (energy). Obviously, whilst this is occurring, less glycogen and fat are used to produce ATP in other parts of the body.

However, the liver can only carry out this job at a fixed rate of approximately 1 unit of alcohol per hour. If you drink more alcohol than this, it is dealt with by a different enzyme system in the liver (the microsomal ethanol oxidising system, MEa) to make it less toxic to the body. The more alcohol you drink on a regular basis, the more MEa enzymes are produced, which is why you can develop an increased tolerance to alcohol- you need to drink more to experience the same physiological effects.

Initially, alcohol reduces inhibitions, increases self confidence and makes you feel more at ease. However, it is actually a depressant rather than a stimulant, reducing your psychomotor (coordination) skills. It is potentially toxic to all of the cells and organs in your body and, if it builds up to high concentrations, can cause damage to the liver, stomach and brain.

Too much alcohol causes hangovers - headache, thirst, nausea, vomiting and heartburn. These symptoms are due partly to dehydration and a swelling of the blood vessels in the head. Congeners, substances found mainly in darker alcoholic drinks such as rum and red wine, are also responsible for many of the hangover symptoms. The best way to deal with a hangover is to drink plenty of water or, better still, a sports drink. Avoid coffee or tea as these will make dehydration worse. Do not attempt to train or compete with a hangover!

Related articles