Alcohol & Athletic Performance

COREPRINCIPLE

THE IMPACT OF ALCOHOL ON ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE DIFFERS AND VARIES FOR EVERYONE BASED ON THE AMOUNT CONSUMED, DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS, AND THE NATURE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, WHICH CHALLENGES FORMULATING PRECISE GUIDANCE.

HOWEVER, FROM AN ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE STANDPOINT, THE OVERUSE OF ALCOHOL CAN INFLUENCE MOTOR SKILLS, HYDRATION STATUS, AEROBIC PERFORMANCE, AS WELL AS ASPECTS OF THE RECOVERY PROCESS.

ChronicEffectsofAlcohol

REGULAR HEAVY CONSUMPTION AND BINGE DRINKING CAN TAKE A TOLL ON THE BODY. ATHLETES ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE HEALTH EFFECTS ASSOCIATED WITH EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION, WHICH CAN ALSO AFFECT PERFORMANCE. ALCOHOL IS CALORICALLY DENSE, PROVIDING SEVEN CALORIES PER GRAM, WITH A STANDARD DRINK IN THE UNITED STATES CONTAINING 14 GRAMS OF ALCOHOL. IF OTHER SUBSTANCES ARE PRESENT, SUCH AS SOFT DRINKS AND HIGH SUGAR FRUIT JUICES, THE CALORIC VALUE OF AN ALCOHOLIC DRINK RISES EVEN HIGHER. AS A GENERAL REFERENCE, THE FOLLOWING ARE COMMON DRINK SIZES AND THEIR AVERAGE ALCOHOL CONTENT: 12 OZ OF BEER (5% ALCOHOL), 5 OZ OF WINE (12% ALCOHOL), AND 1.5 OZ OF 80-PROOF DISTILLED SPIRITS (40% ALCOHOL). THE CALORIES FROM ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES CAN ADD UP FAST AND CONTRIBUTE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF CALORIES TO AN ATHLETE’S OVERALL CALORIC INTAKE. ADDITIONALLY, BEHAVIORS ASSOCIATED WITH HEAVY DRINKING, SUCH AS POOR EATING PATTERNS AND INCREASED CONSUMPTION OF UNHEALTHY FOODS, MAY LEAD TO INCREASED CALORIC INTAKE. OVER TIME, THIS COMBINATION CAN AFFECT AN ATHLETE’S BODY COMPOSITION.

NUTRITION

ImpactonSleep,Injury&Hormones

BEYOND THE ENERGY STORAGE, ALCOHOL NEGATIVELY AFFECTS SLEEP, RECOVERY FROM INJURY, AND THE PRODUCTION OF HORMONES NEEDED FOR MUSCULAR GROWTH. ATHLETES NEED ADEQUATE SLEEP TO AID IN RECOVERY AND TO BE ABLE TO PERFORM AT THEIR BEST, BOTH PHYSICALLY AND MENTALLY. INGESTION OF ALCOHOL BEFORE GOING TO BED MAY HELP INDUCE SLEEP, BUT HAS BEEN SHOWN TO DISRUPT RESTORATIVE SLEEP CYCLES THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT, DECREASING QUALITY OF SLEEP. TO COMPOUND THIS, WHEN ATHLETES ENJOY A NIGHT OUT DRINKING, THEY MAY STAY OUT LATER THAN NORMAL, REDUCING THEIR DURATION OF SLEEP. THESE TWO FACTORS COMBINED IMPACT RECOVERY, ENERGY LEVELS, AND PERFORMANCE IN UPCOMING TRAINING AND COMPETITIONS. WHEN ATHLETES EXPERIENCE SOFT TISSUE INJURIES, THE BODY EMPLOYS AN INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE. ALCOHOL HAS BEEN SHOWN TO LIMIT THE INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE.

AlcoholImpairsMuscleGrowth

NOT ONLY DOES WORKING OUT UNDER THE INFLUENCE INCREASE YOUR LIKELIHOOD OF INJURY, BUT IT CAN ALSO STOP MUSCLE GROWTH. LONG-TERM ALCOHOL USE CAN CAUSE LOSS OF PROTEIN SYNTHESIS, RESULTING IN A DECREASE IN MUSCLE GROWTH. EVEN SHORT-TERM ALCOHOL USE CAN AFFECT YOUR MUSCLES.

TO OPTIMIZE YOUR ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE, YOU WANT TO RECOVER FROM SORE MUSCLES AS FAST AS POSSIBLE. ALCOHOL HAS BEEN SHOWN TO SLOW THIS PROCESS BECAUSE IT'S A POWERFUL DIURETIC, WHICH CAN CAUSE DEHYDRATION AND ELECTROLYTE IMBALANCES. WHEN DEHYDRATED, AN ATHLETE IS AT A GREATER RISK FOR CRAMPS, MUSCLE PULLS, AND MUSCLE STRAINS.

DUE TO POOR SLEEP FROM A NIGHT OF DRINKING, YOUR BODY DOESN’T PRODUCE A CHEMICAL CALLED HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE (HGH). HGH PLAYS AN INTEGRAL ROLE IN BUILDING AND REPAIRING MUSCLES. ALCOHOL CAN DECREASE THE PRODUCTION OF HGH BY AS MUCH AS 70%. ADDITIONALLY, BINGE DRINKING CAN REDUCE SERUM TESTOSTERONE LEVELS. DECREASES IN TESTOSTERONE ARE ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASES IN LEAN MUSCLE MASS AND MUSCLE RECOVERY, WHICH CAN IMPAIR PERFORMANCE

AlcoholImpairsMuscleGrowth

DUE TO POOR SLEEP FROM A NIGHT OF DRINKING, YOUR BODY DOESN’T PRODUCE A CHEMICAL CALLED HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE (HGH). HGH PLAYS AN INTEGRAL ROLE IN BUILDING AND REPAIRING MUSCLES. ALCOHOL CAN DECREASE THE PRODUCTION OF HGH BY AS MUCH AS 70%. ADDITIONALLY, BINGE DRINKING CAN REDUCE SERUM TESTOSTERONE LEVELS. DECREASES IN TESTOSTERONE ARE ASSOCIATED WITH DECREASES IN LEAN MUSCLE MASS AND MUSCLE RECOVERY, WHICH CAN IMPAIR PERFORMANCE

AFTER ALCOHOL IS ABSORBED THROUGH YOUR STOMACH AND SMALL INTESTINE AND MOVES INTO YOUR CELLS, THIS THEN DISRUPTS THE WATER BALANCE THROUGHOUT YOUR BODY. AN IMBALANCE OF WATER IN YOUR MUSCLE CELLS CAN HAVE AN EFFECT ON THEIR ABILITY TO PRODUCE ATP, WHICH IS THE IMPORTANT FUEL FOR OUR CELLS. A CHANGE AND REDUCTION IN YOUR BODY’S ATP THEN RESULTS IN A LACK OF ENERGY. THIS LACK OF ENERGY THEN CAUSES A LACK OF ENDURANCE.

AlcoholandNutrition

ALCOHOL CALORIES CANNOT BE NECESSARILY USED FOR FUEL. WE TEND TO THINK THAT ONLY CARBOHYDRATES, PROTEIN, AND FAT CAN PROVIDE CALORIE. BUT ACTUALLY, ALCOHOL HAS SEVEN CALORIES PER GRAM WHICH IS BETWEEN THE FAT AND CARBOHYDRATES CALORIES PER GRAM. BUT UNLIKE CALORIES FROM THE FOOD WE EAT, YOUR MUSCLES CANNOT USE ALCOHOL CALORIES FOR FUEL.

ALCOHOL CALORIES ARE NOT CONVERTED TO GLYCOGEN WHICH IS A FORM OF STORED CARBOHYDRATES. BECAUSE OF THIS THAY ARE CONSEQUENTLY NOT A GOOD SOURCE OF ENERGY FOR YOUR BODY DURING EXERCISE. YOUR BODY INSTEAD CONVERTS THE ENERGY FROM ALCOHOL AND STORES IT IN OUR FAT TISSUE. AS A RESULT, ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION INCREASES FAT STORAGE AND CAN ADVERSELY AFFECT YOUR PERCENTAGE OF BODY FAT.

Conclusion

ALCOHOL CALORIES CANNOT BE NECESSARILY USED FOR FUEL.

ALCOHOL DISRUPTS SLEEP WHICH UPSETS OUR MUSCLE GROWTH AND RECOVERY WITHOUT GOOD SLEEP, WE CANNOT PREFORM WELL WHILE WORKING OUT OUR BODY CANNOT USE ALCOHOL AS A GOOD ENERGY SOURCE AND INSTEAD IS STORED AS FAT.

BINGE DRINKING CAN CAUSE WEIGHT GAIN, LOSS OF SLEEP, AND INADEQUATE PERFORMANCE IN WORKOUTS. WHEN MUSCLES CANNOT ADEQUATELY RECOVER, YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO INJURE YOURSELF