How alcohol affects your body after exercise

Whether you're an athlete or not, everyone knows that alcohol should only be consumed in moderation. But how do alcohol and sports actually get along? Should athletes abstain completely from this stimulant? Seven reasons why alcohol has a negative effect on your training and tips on how you as an athlete can treat yourself to a glass every now and then.

What is alcohol and how is it absorbed by the body?

Alcohol, or ethanol as it is chemically known, is a macronutrient in its own right that the body can use for energy production. However, unlike the other macronutrients - carbohydrates, protein and fat - it is not essential for the body, nor is it required for metabolic processes.

The absorption of alcohol in the body begins in the oral mucosa. However, a large proportion enters the bloodstream through the mucous membrane of the stomach. As soon as we drink alcohol, it is metabolized with priority over other macronutrients, as it has a toxic effect in the body. It is broken down in the liver and excreted in the urine.

In the body, ethanol acts as a neurotoxin on the central and peripheral nervous systems, which is why consumption always poses certain dangers. In the brain, it affects messenger metabolism and thus inhibits the body's signal processing. While very small amounts still have a relaxing and stimulating effect, it can also quickly lead to behavioral changes, concentration disorders and permanent damage to the brain.

What is appropriate alcohol consumption?

Alcohol is one of the most widespread drugs in the world and is generally accepted by society. Nevertheless, consumption should be considered with caution, not only in connection with alcohol and sports. There are recommendations* from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the German Nutrition Society (DGE).

The WHO recommends:

Healthy women: Maximum 16 g alcohol / day = approx. 400 ml beer or 170 ml wine.
Healthy men: Maximum 32 g alcohol / day = approx. 800 ml beer or 340 ml wine

The DGE is a bit stricter and recommends:

Healthy women: Maximum 10 g alcohol / day = approx. 250 ml beer or 125 ml wine
Healthy men: Maximum 20 g alcohol / day = approx. 500 ml beer or 250 ml wine

*Note: Even if these recommendations are followed, consumption can have numerous health drawbacks.

7 reasons why alcohol after exercise is not a good idea

1. Alcohol is a calorie bomb

At 7.1 kilocalories per gram (kcal / g), alcohol is much more energy dense than carbohydrates and protein (4.1 kcal / g each) and comes close to calorie-rich fat (9.3 kcal / g).

For example, a bottle of beer (0.33 l) contains about 13 grams of pure alcohol and 138 kcal. A glass of wine (0.2 l) contains about 19 grams of pure alcohol and thus 140 kcal.

Thus alcoholic beverages are genuine calorie bombs and can the laboriously in training burned calories fast again reinholen. And we don't even get full from these calories. On the contrary: alcohol stimulates the appetite. This is because, on the one hand, a hunger signal is triggered in the brain and, on the other, dehydration and salt loss stimulate hunger for hearty food.

2. Alcohol after exercise decreases fat burning.

After exercise, our metabolism and fat burning is greatly increased. But only until we drink alcohol. This is because the body first burns it to break down the toxic substances. Thus, the fat burning is blocked.

3. Alcohol slows down muscle building

After strength training, our protein biosynthesis works at full speed. During this phase, our muscles repair themselves and grow. This process is slowed down by alcohol, which delays muscle growth and recovery time (see 5.).

4. Alcohol and sports highly dehydrate the body

Alcohol removes a lot of water from the cells. After a sweaty workout, this is doubly damaging to the body. There can be a disproportion of minerals such as potassium and magnesium. This leads to a poorer metabolism and all processes in the body run less efficiently as a result.

The day after drinking alcohol, it is also necessary to be careful when exercising: There may be increased cramps, reduced pain resistance and decreased performance. The coordination ability is also often not yet fully restored.

5. Alcohol after training prolongs the recovery time

Your muscles do not grow during training, but during the recovery time between sessions. Therefore, this is important for the desired training success. Among other things, the metabolic end product of the muscles, lactate (lactic acid), is broken down in the liver. As a result of alcohol consumption, the liver focuses on its degradation for the time being, as it is considered more dangerous.

Thus, the breakdown of lactate is inhibited and muscle building is stopped for the time being. In addition, alcohol worsens the quality of sleep, another important factor for good regeneration. After alcohol consumption, we hardly get into the deep sleep phases and feel less refreshed in the morning.

6. Lot of Alcohol Can Lower Testosterone Levels

The hormone testosterone has an anabolic effect, i.e. building up in the body. After the necessary stimulus on the muscles through strength training, the hormone helps to build muscles - provided that there is enough testosterone in the body. After consuming alcohol, however, less testosterone is produced in the body and the release of other growth hormones is inhibited as well. This slows down the desired training successes.

7. Alcohol weakens the immune system

Alcohol is a neurotoxin. After consumption, the body's top priority is to break down the alcohol again. For this it needs a lot of resources and energy. This is why alcohol has a negative effect on our physical defenses. Intense sports sessions also weaken the immune system in the short term, as the recovery processes also require resources from the body. The result: a more vulnerable and weakened immune system and an increased susceptibility to diseases.

Tips to reconcile occasional consumption of alcohol and sport

Yes, there are many reasons why athletes shouldn't drink alcohol, and it's safe to say that it will affect your training to some extent. However, if you don't want to give up alcohol completely, but still want to achieve training success, we have some tips for you:

Wait at least an hour before drinking alcohol after your workout and make up for fluid losses first.
Consume as little alcohol as possible, preferably only on selected occasions.
Plan alcohol consumption and training as far apart as possible. As a guideline, we recommend 48 hours.
Drink a glass of water with each alcoholic beverage to counteract dehydration.
Make sure you get enough sleep after the party and get as much rest as possible the following day.
Make sure you drink enough fluids, vitamins and minerals the next day.
Avoid particularly intense sports on the following day.

Conclusion: Alcohol and sport are not a good combination

Whether it's the inhibition of fat burning, protein biosynthesis or growth hormones, the numerous calories of alcoholic beverages, the ravenous appetite for hearty foods or the dehydration of the body: alcohol and sport, especially alcohol after training, don't get along very well. Nevertheless, it is not necessary to completely abstain from the stimulant.

With our tips, the negative effects on training are kept to a minimum. How much and whether alcohol is necessary at all is something everyone should consider carefully. In any case, it brings many disadvantages with it and can quickly ruin the success of a hard workout.

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