Drinking alcohol is part of our culture. Good or bad, there are both pluses and minuses to drinking.
If you do drink, however, it’s very important to understand what alcohol does to your body, potentially to health benefits and negative effects it does produce.
• How too much can make you seriously ill and wreak havoc on your Metabolism?
• Is moderate drinking good for you? What’s moderate? What is too much?
• Does drinking increase your risk of cancer, heart disease or help prevent the disease?
• What about the studies that have shown that men and women who drink moderately often weigh less than those who don’t drink at all?
If you do drink, however, it’s very important to understand what alcohol does to your body, potentially to health benefits and negative effects it does produce.
• How too much can make you seriously ill and wreak havoc on your Metabolism?
• Is moderate drinking good for you? What’s moderate? What is too much?
• Does drinking increase your risk of cancer, heart disease or help prevent the disease?
• What about the studies that have shown that men and women who drink moderately often weigh less than those who don’t drink at all?
It’s very important to understand what moderate consumption really means, as it is a much lower level than many people assume.
For men, a maximum of ten glasses of wine (or the equivalent) per week is considered a moderate alcohol intake. Men who have three drinks each day, seven days a week, are doubling the recommended amount.
For women, five glasses of wine (or the equivalent) per week is considered a moderate alcohol intake.
Women’s livers are much smaller than men’s, which makes it harder to detoxify higher alcohol levels. This is why women can get intoxicated more quickly if they have the same amount of alcohol as men.
For men, a maximum of ten glasses of wine (or the equivalent) per week is considered a moderate alcohol intake. Men who have three drinks each day, seven days a week, are doubling the recommended amount.
For women, five glasses of wine (or the equivalent) per week is considered a moderate alcohol intake.
Women’s livers are much smaller than men’s, which makes it harder to detoxify higher alcohol levels. This is why women can get intoxicated more quickly if they have the same amount of alcohol as men.
A standard drink is defined as:
• 12 oz /350ml ounces of beer - (145kcal)
• 12 oz /350ml ounces of light beer (110 kcal)
• 1.5 oz /44ml of spirits (vodka, whiskey, etc.) - (97kcal)
• 5 oz /147ml red wine - (125 kcal)
• 5 oz /147ml white wine (120 kcal)
Not recommended (high calories & high sugar)
• 4 oz. martini (275 kcal)
• 12 oz. daiquiri (675 kcal)
• 12 oz. margarita (750 kcal)
• 10 oz. Long Island ice tea (580 kcal)
• 12 oz. piña colada (655 kcal)
• 12 oz /350ml ounces of beer - (145kcal)
• 12 oz /350ml ounces of light beer (110 kcal)
• 1.5 oz /44ml of spirits (vodka, whiskey, etc.) - (97kcal)
• 5 oz /147ml red wine - (125 kcal)
• 5 oz /147ml white wine (120 kcal)
Not recommended (high calories & high sugar)
• 4 oz. martini (275 kcal)
• 12 oz. daiquiri (675 kcal)
• 12 oz. margarita (750 kcal)
• 10 oz. Long Island ice tea (580 kcal)
• 12 oz. piña colada (655 kcal)
Why Drinking Alcohol Makes It So Hard to Lose Weight
Toxicity
• Alcohol is not a nutrient. It’s a toxin. Whenever you drink alcohol, it first goes to your liver to be detoxified and is then processed as sugar. As you know, your liver is the organ responsible for ridding your body of toxins. It also needs to be able to detoxify and breakdown fat tissue. Whenever you drink, your liver makes the breakdown of the alcohol a priority. As long as your liver is busy detoxifying alcohol, it can’t focus on metabolizing fat tissue as efficiently.
MD Factor trigger
• Many individual had experienced that having a drink or two helps them fall asleep easily, but then they often wake up after only a few hours and can’t fall back asleep. They’re exhausted and out of sorts the next day. This happens because alcohol lowers blood sugar levels. When you have the MD Factor, you see big surges in insulin after you eat or drink, but then when your cells finally do get the sugar they need, your blood sugar levels drop into relative hypoglycemia. Your body perceives this as so stressful and potentially life-threatening that it wakes you up. Even if you do fall back asleep, you’ll probably wake up again an hour or two later as this cycle repeats itself.
Lowered inhibitions
• One of the reasons it’s enjoyable to drink is that it’s relaxing and often lowers inhibitions. This is fine if you need to unwind, but not so fine when you are in a restaurant, where after the first drink that bread basket suddenly looks amazingly tempting—and after the second or third, dessert doesn’t sound so bad. Don’t forget the coffee with cream and sugar. Skip the wine or cocktails and it’s easier to skip all of those dinnertime extras
Water retention and dehydration
Alcohol causes water retention, leaving you bloated and puffy and feeling uncomfortable. In what might seem like a contradiction, alcohol can dehydrate you at the same time.
Hormonal effects
1. Cortisol (stress hormone): Alcohol increases cortisol, especially with heavy drinking. This can promote belly fat storage, weaken the immune system, and worsen stress.
2. Serotonin & dopamine (mood): Alcohol temporarily boosts these "feel-good" chemicals, which is why it feels relaxing. But frequent drinking can deplete them, leading to low mood or anxiety when sober.
3. Reproductive Hormones
Testosterone: Alcohol reduces testosterone production, especially in men. This can lower muscle growth, libido, and energy.
4. Estrogen: Alcohol increases estrogen levels (in both men and women). In men, this can cause imbalances like gynecomastia (enlarged breast tissue). In women, higher estrogen may raise breast cancer risk.
5. Metabolic Hormones
Insulin: Alcohol interferes with insulin sensitivity, making it harder for your body to regulate blood sugar. Over time, this can contribute to diabetes risk.
6. Leptin & ghrelin (hunger hormones): Alcohol lowers leptin (satiety hormone) and raises ghrelin (hunger hormone), which makes you hungrier and more likely to overeat.
7. Melatonin (Sleep Hormones): Alcohol suppresses melatonin, disturbing sleep quality and circadian rhythm, even if it helps you fall asleep faster at first.
Toxicity
• Alcohol is not a nutrient. It’s a toxin. Whenever you drink alcohol, it first goes to your liver to be detoxified and is then processed as sugar. As you know, your liver is the organ responsible for ridding your body of toxins. It also needs to be able to detoxify and breakdown fat tissue. Whenever you drink, your liver makes the breakdown of the alcohol a priority. As long as your liver is busy detoxifying alcohol, it can’t focus on metabolizing fat tissue as efficiently.
MD Factor trigger
• Many individual had experienced that having a drink or two helps them fall asleep easily, but then they often wake up after only a few hours and can’t fall back asleep. They’re exhausted and out of sorts the next day. This happens because alcohol lowers blood sugar levels. When you have the MD Factor, you see big surges in insulin after you eat or drink, but then when your cells finally do get the sugar they need, your blood sugar levels drop into relative hypoglycemia. Your body perceives this as so stressful and potentially life-threatening that it wakes you up. Even if you do fall back asleep, you’ll probably wake up again an hour or two later as this cycle repeats itself.
Lowered inhibitions
• One of the reasons it’s enjoyable to drink is that it’s relaxing and often lowers inhibitions. This is fine if you need to unwind, but not so fine when you are in a restaurant, where after the first drink that bread basket suddenly looks amazingly tempting—and after the second or third, dessert doesn’t sound so bad. Don’t forget the coffee with cream and sugar. Skip the wine or cocktails and it’s easier to skip all of those dinnertime extras
Water retention and dehydration
Alcohol causes water retention, leaving you bloated and puffy and feeling uncomfortable. In what might seem like a contradiction, alcohol can dehydrate you at the same time.
Hormonal effects
1. Cortisol (stress hormone): Alcohol increases cortisol, especially with heavy drinking. This can promote belly fat storage, weaken the immune system, and worsen stress.
2. Serotonin & dopamine (mood): Alcohol temporarily boosts these "feel-good" chemicals, which is why it feels relaxing. But frequent drinking can deplete them, leading to low mood or anxiety when sober.
3. Reproductive Hormones
Testosterone: Alcohol reduces testosterone production, especially in men. This can lower muscle growth, libido, and energy.
4. Estrogen: Alcohol increases estrogen levels (in both men and women). In men, this can cause imbalances like gynecomastia (enlarged breast tissue). In women, higher estrogen may raise breast cancer risk.
5. Metabolic Hormones
Insulin: Alcohol interferes with insulin sensitivity, making it harder for your body to regulate blood sugar. Over time, this can contribute to diabetes risk.
6. Leptin & ghrelin (hunger hormones): Alcohol lowers leptin (satiety hormone) and raises ghrelin (hunger hormone), which makes you hungrier and more likely to overeat.
7. Melatonin (Sleep Hormones): Alcohol suppresses melatonin, disturbing sleep quality and circadian rhythm, even if it helps you fall asleep faster at first.