What it is:
The impact of alcohol on the body is widespread and, therefore, a disruptor of health goals within nutrition, sleep, and exercise. The consequences can be directly seen in measures such as cholesterol, inflammation, weight fluctuations, and sleep data.
The speed and quantity at which we can process alcohol depend on factors such as age, body composition, prior health, and lifestyle choices. Understanding how alcohol hijacks the resources we need to function, especially regarding nutrition, sleep, and exercise, is vital.
Purported claims:
Alcohol can disrupt our systems in a multitude of ways:
In Nutrition:
Limits digestive enzymes
Prevents the breakdown of nutrients
Impairs nutrient absorption and transport
Damages the lining of the digestive tract, and the microbiome
Confuses feelings of hunger, leading to either reduced or excess calories
In Exercise:
Increases risk of injury
Decreases threshold for stressors and inflammation
Inhibits muscle protein synthesis (MPS) and repair
Reduces both aerobic and strength performance
In Sleep:
Decreases sleep quality and quantity
Increases snoring/breathing disruptions
Increases awakening incidences
Disrupts body temperature regulation
What the science says:
Nutrition
A type of malnutrition can occur in those who drink alcohol where although caloric intake is being met, there is insufficient intake of vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients. Alcohol is high in calories at around 150+ kcal per glass of wine, beer, or 1.5oz liquor. And unlike the macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, and fats), alcohol does not have any significant nutritional qualities such as fiber, minerals, or phytonutrients.
Protein we can break down for amino acids, fat converts to fatty acids and carbohydrates into glucose energy, amongst many other fantastic nutritional possibilities. Alcohol is only empty calories that convert into the poisonous by-product of acetyl-aldehyde. It is a detrimental substance with no nutritional value. Our body must work incredibly hard to handle alcohol's toxic by-product and finagle it into a highly inefficient form of energy for our body.
The digestive tract and microbiome can be harmed by chronic alcohol consumption. Alteration of the types of bacteria, inflammation, and gut tissue injury have all shown to be detrimental to a healthy microbiome. And although diet can slightly curb the injurious effects, recognizing that nutrition can only help so far is crucial. By consuming a meal or snack when drinking, you can buffer the injuries caused to the gastrointestinal mucosa, tissue, and bacteria.
Absorption, storage, and metabolism of certain vitamins and minerals are affected by alcohol. Deficiencies to look out for, even in those who drink minimally, are:
Fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, K
All B-vitamins, especially:
B1 (Thiamin)
B6
B9 (Folate)
Vitamin C
Minerals: Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphate, Zinc
Issues that you may notice include:
Cuts, scrapes, and wounds take longer to heal.
Blood clotting occurs at a slower rate once an injury has occurred.
Bruising occurs more readily.
Decreased night vision and increased eye strain.
Nutrition practices that protect the liver, GI tract, heart, and increase ADH and ALDH enzyme activities are the areas to focus on if you choose to consume alcohol.
Exercise
The variation in types of exercise, consistency/quantity of performance, and an individual's health are just some of the aspects that need to be considered when reviewing alcohol's effect on training and exercise goals.
It would be amiss to ignore the prevalence of alcohol in sports, from professional athletes to casual sports leagues. Alcohol use is everywhere.
After a big night out, training can be affected in several ways. Mental resilience, desire, and motivation are hampered by hormone disruption, lack of sleep, and dehydration. The building, growth, and healing of muscle is disrupted by alcohol leading to cramps, lactic acid build-up, muscle fatigue, and reduced aerobic performance. The inflammation and swelling can also leave you prone to injury complications.
Drinking Prior to or During Physical Activity:
For some, social sports such as volleyball or soccer involve a few beverages prior to or during the game. Yet the risk of injury increases due to a plethora of bodily alterations such as compromised motor skills, decreased coordination, delayed reactions, diminished judgment, and impaired balance (1). The consequences of reduced athletic capacity can lead to a lifetime injury in yourself or others.
Drinking After Exercise
Drinking following exercise has shown to be inflammatory and reduce muscle performance in a few research studies (1,2). Although, the effect seems to be more pronounced in males than females. The groups focused upon were healthy, athletically competent individuals, so their quick recovery shows how performing healthy habits can protect the body from certain stressors and inflammatory practices. By keeping below threshold in other areas of your life through consistent exercise, sleep, and nutrition, you have a higher capacity to deal with stressors when they come along.
Exercise is also protective as higher rates of muscle compared to fat allow the body to process alcohol faster. The higher water content of muscle compared to fat can help dilute alcohol. Males tend to have higher levels of muscle; therefore, alongside other characteristics, it allows them to metabolize alcohol better.
How can Exercise Help?
One consequence of high levels of alcohol drinking is fat deposits in the liver (fatty liver disease). Physical inactivity has been shown to exacerbate the deposition irrespective of initial body weight. Compared with weight-matched physically active individuals, those who are sedentary have an increased risk of fatty liver. Therefore one of the most significant factors for preventing damage and helping to clear alcohol from your system is consistent physical activity. Exercise shows multiple pathways of improvement (1) from:
Prevention of damage to the mitochondria and liver cells
Reduced fatty acid deposition and synthesis
Increased fatty acid oxidation
Reduction of insulin resistance
Although you can't "out-exercise" drinking alcohol, you can mitigate some damage by practicing various consistent physical activities.
Sleep
Alcohol consumed too close to bedtime can fragment our sleep, suppress melatonin secretion, suppress rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, increase snoring, and elevate core body temperature. Combined, these can result in non-restorative sleep, leaving us feeling under-rested the next day. It can even worsen sleep quality the following night.
The constant use of alcohol or other inflammatory choices shows harmful elements in how it hijacks available materials and redirects them. Chronic inflammation and lack of restful sleep are resource gobblers that prevent the reallocation when needed for scenarios like illness or infection.
The disruption is noticeable in Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and can take 4-5 days to recover after consuming alcohol. Reviewing your Heart Rate Variability alongside your Apeiron Life Client Advocate can help you better understand the impact alcohol has on your sleep.
A "nightcap" is thought, by many, to aid the wind-down process and promote better sleep, but studies do not support this. Although alcohol initially depresses our nervous system and might even allow us to drift off to sleep more quickly. Once it is cleared from our bloodstream, we often experience a rebound effect in alertness to compensate for the sedated time. This can often wake us up from sleep and make it difficult to drift off again.
Our core body temperature decreases alongside melatonin release about an hour before bed. Our brain needs this signal to begin the transition to sleep. Alcohol increases core body temperature at night, so consuming it too close to bedtime works against our natural sleep process. Drinking can also deprive us of a healthy nightly melatonin dose, which is vital for repairing the body's many tissues.
Alcohol is also a muscle relaxant that affects our airway, narrowing the passage, causing breathing disruption, snoring, reduced oxygen flow, and forcing the body to breathe through the mouth rather than filter through nasal passages.
We can see all these effects when monitoring sleep, as moderate amounts of alcohol can increase deep sleep and suppress REM sleep. These alterations in our patterns show the harm in real-time.
Our take:
Prioritizing the three pillars of nutrition, sleep, and exercise before activities involving alcohol can assist your health, recovery, and goal aspirations. Speak with your Client Advocate on ways to curb ingrained habits and develop a lifestyle that works for you.
Will this benefit you?
Developing strategies to limit alcohol consumption will benefit your health and goals.
Still curious? Here’s what to keep an eye on:
When alcohol use becomes a health issue, there aren’t always symptoms, but liver disease can present with:
Insomnia
Confusion and memory problems
Hair loss
Curved fingertips and nails (clubbed fingers)
Blotchy red palms
Increased sensitivity to alcohol and drugs because the liver cannot process them
Abdominal swelling due to a build-up of fluid (ascites)
And many other mild signs.
References and additional reading:
Mahan, L K, and Raymond, J L. Krause's Food & the Nutrition Care Process. Elsevier Inc, 2017. Print.
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