I like to drink.
Red wine, Jack Daniel’s, and beer from Belgian to Budweiser – I like to drink. Unfortunately, one of my favorite vices is also detrimental to health and fitness. If for no other reason than to remind myself that sunny early summer is not a license to make Mojitos and Corona a staple in my diet, I’ve listed 7 ways that guys lose when they booze. I’ve pulled this information from reports by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism and the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention where men were the test subjects, but I think we can all agree that much of it will also apply to women.
1. Cancer. Alcohol consumption increases the risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, liver, and colon in men.
2. Diabetes. Alcohol consumption can alter blood sugar levels and exacerbate or cause diabetes. Chronic alcohol abuse can reduce the body’s responsiveness to insulin and cause glucose intolerance in both non-alchoholics and alcoholics with liver cirrhosis. It is estimated that 45% – 70% of people with alcoholic liver disease are also diabetic.
3. Bones. Alcohol is directly toxic to bone-forming cells. Also chronic heavy drinking can adversely affect bone metabolism indirectly by contributing to nutritional deficiencies of calcium or Vitamin D.
4. Boners. Excessive alcohol use can interfere with testicular function and male hormone production resulting in impotence and infertility.
5. Man Boobs. In a study of normal healthy men who received alcohol for 4 weeks, testosterone levels declined after only 5 days and continued to fall throughout the study period. Prolonged testosterone deficiency may contribute to feminization of male sexual characteristics including breast enlargement.
6. Swimmers. Alcohol may interfere with normal sperm structure and movement by inhibiting the metabolism of Vitamin A which is essential for sperm development.
7. Addiction. It is estimated that about 17% of men will meet criteria for alcohol dependence at some point in their lives.
I didn’t even go into how the excess calories from alcohol contribute to weight gain, that the resulting reduction in testosterone hampers muscle gain, or how the disrupted sleep patterns from drinking wreck your recovery. The referenced studies didn’t discuss these elements, but I can tell you from experience training myself and my clients that eliminating or greatly reducing your alcohol intake is an important step to getting lean and strong.
What’s your take on how alcohol impacts your health and fitness? Let us know in the comments below.
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Vic Magary is a personal trainer, a US ARMY veteran and karate/taekwondo black belt. You can get a proven fat loss plan by picking up my 31 Day Workout Manual or by signing up for my Free Newsletter |
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I have a few rules for my deep affection for good beer.
1.) 7 days must have passed since my last beer intake.
2.) I only drink 3 beers.
3.) It can’t been cheep beer. It has to be of quality and ice cold (unless it’s a UK beer that is taken in at room temp).
That’s it. So far, I’ve avoided all the 7 complications listed above by just simplifying my life. Hey, that seems to be a common theme to ALL of our success stories.
;o)
Jesus
Jesus, I like your standards!
If man boobs and flaccidity doesn’t scare you off the alcohol, I don’t know what will.
I only drink when I’m out. Maybe 2-3 times a week and usually stop at 3 beers. I also have no complications. Good beer is one of the joys of life, if consumed wisely.
Bill
Ah yes, good beer. . .
Thanks Vic, for making us aware of the risks of alcohol consumption.
But among the information you provide, there is no data on daily intake and/or the intake frequency.
As Jesus Sanchez pointed out, the quality of the alcohol beverage also has to be taken into account. For example, in Germany, they have a law on beer purity (Reinheitsgebot), since 1516. Basically, when you make beer or want to sell beer in Germany, you have to use only four ingredients (yeast, water, barley and hops).
In Canada, where any food package must include the list of ingredients (chips, cereals, soups, etc.), it is strange the law does not seem to apply to beer cans and bottles…
Ok, I got more precise info in “Power eating. Build muscle, gain energy, lose fat” by S. Kleiner and M. Greenwood-Robinson, published in 1998 (actually my copy is a French translation).
Maybe it’s a change added to the French edition, but here goes:
[This is my own translation back to English, not the original text] “Risks of alcohol are higher than its benefits. If you do take alcohol, do so with moderation, while eating a meal (…) No more than two alcohol beverages per day (for men) – Only one per day for women. One dose is 1 or 2 pints of beer, 5 ounces of wine and an ounce of strong liquor.”
Vic – a few summers back I discovered the fastest way to get fat – 3-5 beers per night, every night…
Downing the beers was fun… losing the gut/fatso face afterwords, not so much
Yavor
I am very against to alcohol, as it reduces the body stamina and bring very dangerous impacts on our health. As you already mentioned the impacts of alcohol on health in good way, so an alcoholic man can maintain his fitness.