Is Alcohol A Body Buzz Kill?
In honor of the start of a new school year when it seems like partying is a higher priority than attending class and no Saturday is complete without tailgating, I figured I would touch on what alcohol consumption does to your body.
Alcohol is what’s known as a priority fuel which means when it’s consumed, regardless of other foods consumed; it will be burned and metabolized until it is cleared from the body. Alcohol can also slow down your body’s ability to burn fat as fuel as well as carbohydrates and proteins. A common misconception about alcohol is that when you consume alcohol in excess it will be stored as fat or converted to stored carbohydrates to be used later as an energy source. As previously mentioned, it is a priority fuel, so the alcohol is going to be burned first and everything else consumed will be stored as fat or carbohydrates. So when you combine your Friday night beer with the late night pizza, your body is going to spend the rest of the night burning off the alcohol while the pizza goes straight towards your freshmen fifteen or your winter insulation as the northerners like to call it.
Average Calorie Amount In Alcohol:
- Light beer, 12 oz, 90 to 110 calories
- Regular beer, 12 oz, 150 calories
- Red wine, 5 oz, 120 to 150 calories
- Rum or whiskey, 1.5 oz, 98 calories
- Gin, 1.5 oz, 120 calories
- Vodka, 1.5 oz, 98 calories
A gram of alcohol equals 7 calories and even though they are excess calories, alcohol does not have any minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, fats or proteins associated with it. This is only the case when alcohol is consumed straight. A lot of the times alcohol is combined with a wide variety of ingredients which will in turn increase the calories amount of a drink. The big ones to watch out for are Long Island Iced Teas, Fruity Margaritas and other frozen drinks which can often have a calorie amount of ~700 calories per drink!
Alcohol can also cause result in a number of health issues such as: inflammation of the stomach, pancreas, and intestines which can impair the digestion of food and absorption into blood. Alcohol is metabolized within the liver which is why long term alcohol consumption often leads to liver damage. However, this is only the case if alcohol is consumed in excess over an extended period of time. Everything is okay in moderation.
And after saying all of this, I figured this quote was fitting:
“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy”
- Benjamin Franklin
