7 Reasons Why I Recommend Limiting (Or Ideally Eliminating) Alcohol

1) It Negatively Impacts Your Hormones And Fertility

Both acute and chronic alcohol consumption decreases testosterone. This is believed to be because alcohol impedes testosterone synthesis in the testes, hypothalamus, and anterior pituitary gland. (1, 2, 3, 4) One study showed that 2 to 3 drinks a day decreased testosterone levels by 6.8% in men over 3 weeks. (5)

Alcohol also decreases male fertility. Around 19% of sperm in healthy men is morphologically defective. In chronic alcoholics this number rises to 75%. (6) Alcohol has also been linked with erectile dysfunction, shrinking of the testes, and inflammation of the prostate gland. (4)

Not only does alcohol decrease testosterone, but it increases estrogen too! This is mostly due to the phytoestrogens present in alcoholic drinks (highest in beer). (7) This imbalance of hormones can lead to a condition know as estrogen dominance which has many health consequences for both men and women, including:

• Increased risk of preterm delivery
• Genital malformations
• Reproductive disruption of embryo
• Autism
• Abnormal menstrual cycles
• Weight gain
• Decreased milk production
• Increased risk of miscarriage
• Decreased fertility (in men and women)
• Endometriosis
• Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS)
• Decreased semen quality
• Sperm epimutations
• Cancer (particularly of the breasts, testes, prostate, uterus, and ovaries)
• Precocious puberty (a condition in which puberty begins at a very early age)

(8, 9, 10, 11)

2) It Often Leads To Weight Gain (Especially Around The Mid Section)

Alcohol can easily lead to weight gain, often manifesting as beer bellies and man boobs. This is mainly because of the phytoestrogens in alcohol, especially beer, that have an estrogenic affect in our bodies. (7, 12) Estrogen and body fat are related (that’s why women naturally have more body fat than men). Higher estrogen increases body fat and higher body fat increases estrogen. When either of these are out of balance it can be easy to fall into a vicious cycle of weight gain and high estrogen.

Higher body fat increases aromatase, the key enzyme responsible for synthesizing estrogen. One study found “that obesity increases aromatase activity, and converts testosterone to estrogen.” (1) A 2007 study of 1,667 men found “that each one-point increase in BMI was associated with a 2% decrease in testosterone.” (13)

Therefore by avoiding alcohol you can avoid getting caught in the cycle of increasing estrogen and increasing body fat.

Another reason alcohol can lead to weight gain is because it has empty Calories and is very Calorically dense. Empty Calories means you get very little if any nutrients with the Calories you’re consuming. This often leads to overeating because your body is still carving the nutrients it needs. Plus liquid Calories are really easy to overeat!

By Calorically dense, I mean 1g alcohol had 7 Calories (1g fat had 9 Calories and 1 g protein or carbs has only 4 Calories), thus alcohol generally contains a lot of Calories, especially if it’s a sugary mixed drink! All of these factors lead alcohol to easily push you into a Caloric surplus and gain weight!

3) It Negatively Impacts Athletic Progression And Performance

While exercising tipsy, drunk, or hungover would obviously impede performance, that’s not what I’m gonna focus on in this section. Rather I want to focus on how alcohol consumption impedes recovery and therefore decreases athletic progression and performance.

The main ways in which alcohol consumption decreases recovery are: it reduces sleep quality, muscle protein synthesis, hormone balance, hydration, and nutrition. (12, 14, 15, 16)

Sleep Quality-

A meta-anlaysis as well as many other studies have shown that alcohol consumption reduces the “latency to persistent sleep, suppresses REM sleep particularly in the first part of sleep, and increases SWS [Stage N3] in the first part of sleep. Alcohol reduces WASO [wake after sleep onset (an indicator of sleep continuity or sleep disruption)] in the first half of sleep but increases it in the latter part of the night in keeping with the metabolic elimination of alcohol.” (15)

The effect of alcohol on sleep appears to be both dose and frequency dependent. In other words the more you drink and the more often you drink, the worse quality of sleep you’ll get. (15)

Additionally, many people tend to stay up later when they’re out drinking and consequently get less sleep. Combine this with decreased sleep quality and you get a recipe for insufficient recovery!

Muscle Protein Synthesis-

Research shows that alcohol significantly decreases muscle protein synthesis, that is the repairing and building of muscle tissues, even when adequate protein is consumed. (12, 14)

Hormone Balance-

I already talked about how alcohol increases estrogen and decreases testosterone, but alcohol also increases cortisol (your main stress hormone). Cortisol stimulates muscle breakdown (therefore high levels can decrease your muscle mass) while testosterone is needed for muscle growth (so low levels prevent muscle growth). (12, 14)

Hydration-

Alcohol is a diuretic. “It causes your body to remove fluids from your blood through your renal system, which includes the kidneys, ureters, and bladder, at a much quicker rate than other liquids.” (17) Hydration is key for recovery therefore alcohol’s dehydrating effect can impede recovery.

Adequate hydration is necessary for protein synthesis (repairing and building muscle), proper digestion of food for optimal nutrient absorption (water is needed to make saliva which plays an important role in digestion), adequate blood volume (which decrease how hard the heart has to work and reduces fatigue), and fast heart rate recovery. (18)

Nutrition-

Alcohol has been shown to decrease the absorption of some nutrients, including vitamin B12, thiamin (B1) , and folate (B9). (12, 14) “Additionally, liver cells can become inefficient at activating vitamin D and the metabolism of alcohol can destroy vitamin B6.” (14)

On top of this alcohol is an empty Calorie drink, essentially void of nutrients. Therefore by getting Calories from alcohol instead of nutrient rich foods, you may become deficient in some nutrients.

Nutrients are key for every system in our body to function properly. They build tissues, cause muscle contractions and relaxation, send nerve signals, provide energy, and so much more. As you can imagine they are crucial for athletic performance!

Injury-

“Alcohol consumption also appears to have a causative effect in sports related injury, with an injury incidence of 54.8% in drinkers compared with 23.5% in nondrinkers (p < 0.005).” (16) This is most likely due to sub-optimal recovery.

4) It’s Taxing On Your Liver

After alcohol is consumed it’s absorbed into the bloodstream and goes straight to the liver. Since alcohol is toxic to the body it becomes the livers top priority to brake it down so it can be safely eliminated from the body. If you consume too much alcohol your liver struggles to perform it’s other functions and it has over 500 functions.

In the case of excessive alcohol consumption, your liver struggles to breakdown fat which can lead to fat accumulation in the liver (fatty liver disease). (19) “Fatty liver gradually develops in 90% of those who drink more than a 1/2 ounce (15 ml) of alcohol per day and is usually symptomless and fully reversible,” if alcohol is temporarily eliminated. (19)

However, if not treated and moderate to heavy drinking is continued, scar tissue can develop replacing healthy liver tissue and inflaming the liver. This can lead to serious conditions such as fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. (19, 20, 21)

As you can see the harm to your liver is proportional to the amount of alcohol you consume. With minimal alcohol having a smaller effect and heavy drinking having severe consequences.

5) It Negatively Affects Our Gut Microbiome And Gut Health

Alcohol kills off some of the good bacteria in our gut, offsetting the balance between good and bad bacteria and giving the bad bacteria an opportunity to over power the good. This bacterial imbalance, known as dysbiosis, results in a less healthy gut microbiome and can cause many problems such as poor digestion; decreased immunity; overgrowth of bacteria, fungi, yeasts, and other pathogens; SIBO; weight gain; more serious diseases (both gut related and non gut related); and more. (12, 22, 23, 24)

Alcohol has also been shown to increase gut permeability, a condition known as leaky gut. In this condition gaps between the cells that make up your gut lining allow microorganisms toxins, parasites, and food particles to slip through your gut lining and enter your blood stream. (12, 22, 23, 24, 25)

These are categorized as foreign by your body and trigger an immune response in the body, which is inflammatory by nature. The immune system goes on high alert and destroys anything resembling these foreign objects. Unfortunately the protein structure of some foods (like lectins) is very similar to several body tissues including the thyroid, myelin sheath (coating of nerves), synovial tissue (connective tissue), and more. (24) Therefore your body accidentally attacks your own body. This is what an autoimmune disease is.

6) It Can Cause And Worsen Candida Overgrowth (Yeast Infections)

Like I said above alcohol can lead to gut dysbiosis which can lead to an overgrowth of unwanted things like yeasts, candida being one of the most common yeasts to overgrow. Candida can become a problem in our GI track, mouth, or genitals causing an itchy infection known as a yeast infection. (24)

Alcohol furthers this problem because candida feeds off of alcohol and sugar. While alcohol is obviously in alcoholic drinks, sugar is in most as well. Therefore if you have candida overgrowth it’s best to eliminate alcohol completely till it’s gone. You may introduce it later if you wish but if you’re prone to yeast infections, I highly recommend limiting it. (24)

7) It Atrophies Your Brain

Many studies have found moderate and heavy chronic drinking to have a negative effect on the brain. It’s been shown to decrease grey matter in the brain particularly in the frontal lobes and hippocampus, shrink the brain, and decrease cognitive function. (19, 26) In heavy chronic drinking we also see high incidences of Korsakoff’s syndrome, Alzheimer’s disease, and widespread brain atrophy. (19, 26)

While the exact mechanism is unclear, alcohol is believed to damage the brain because it’s broken down into acetaldehyde, a neurotoxic that causes reduced numbers and morphological changes in hippocampal neurons. Additionally “thiamine and folate deficiency, repeated head trauma, cerebrovascular events, liver damage, and repeated intoxication and withdrawal have also been implicated in more severe drinkers,” all of which negatively effect brain health. (26)

Concluding Thoughts

The severity of the consequences from alcohol is in direct proportion to the amount you drink. So occasionally having a drink is not going to lead to severe health problems, however many studies have strongly linked moderate – heavy drinking over long periods with many health consequences, including the 7 I discussed in this article.

While eliminating alcohol is ideal, I realize that’s not practical for everyone. My advice would be to limit alcohol, as much as you can. If you truly want to prioritize your health I wouldn’t go over 1-2 drinks a month, but it’s up to you to determine what’s right for you.

One final note: if you currently drink a lot and want to decrease your intake, you may want to take small steps to avoid withdraws.

Works Cited

1. “9 Testosterone Killers (They’re Hidden & Everywhere).” Carnivore Aurelius. 4 May 2020. https://carnivoreaurelius.com/testosterone-killers/

2. Kumagai, Hiroshi et al. “Increased physical activity has a greater effect than reduced energy intake on lifestyle modification-induced increases in testosterone.” Journal of clinical biochemistry and nutrition vol. 58,1 (2016): 84-9. doi:10.3164/jcbn.15-48

3. Yetman, Daniel. “How Alcohol Affects Testosterone.” Healthline. 4 September 2020. https://www.healthline.com/health/how-alcohol-affects-testosterone#effect-on-sperm

4. Emanuele, Mary Ann and Emanuele, Nicholas. “Alcohol and the Male Reproductive System.” National Institute On Alcohol Abuse And Alcoholism. Accesses 23 August 2021. https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh25-4/282-287.htm

5. Sierksma, Aafje et al. “Effect of moderate alcohol consumption on plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, testosterone, and estradiol levels in middle-aged men and postmenopausal women: a diet-controlled intervention study.” Alcoholism, clinical and experimental research vol. 28,5 (2004): 780-5. doi:10.1097/01.alc.0000125356.70824.81

6. Price, Weston. “Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.” California: Price-Pottenger Nutritional Foundation. 2014. Print. Pg 316

7. Gavaler, Judith. “Alcoholic Beverages as a Source of Estrogens.” Alcohol Health And Research World. Accessed 23 August 2021. https://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh22-3/220.pdf

8. Lauren. “Xenoestrogens.” Innate Functional Nutritionist. Accesses 23 August 2021. Instagram post.

9. Kubala, Jillian. “How Your Diet Can Affect Estrogen Levels.” Healthline. 30 November 2020. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-to-lower-estrogen

10. “Xenoestrogens and their Harmful Effects.” Healthy Focus. Accesses 23 August 2021. https://healthyfocus.org/what-are-xenoestrogens/

11. Hayes TB, Khoury V, Narayan A, Nazir M, Park A, Brown T, Adame L, Chan E, Buchholz D, Stueve T, Gallipeau S. Atrazine induces complete feminization and chemical castration in male African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2010 Mar 9;107(10):4612-7. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0909519107. Epub 2010 Mar 1. PMID: 20194757; PMCID: PMC2842049.

12. Christensen, Lindsay. “Alcohol and Health: 15 Effects of Excess Alcohol Intake and 4 Benefits of Moderate Drinking.” Chris Kressor. 15 May 2020. https://chriskresser.com/alcohol-and-health/

13. Travison TG, Araujo AB, Kupelian V, O’Donnell AB, McKinlay JB. The relative contributions of aging, health, and lifestyle factors to serum testosterone decline in men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2007 Feb;92(2):549-55. doi: 10.1210/jc.2006-1859. Epub 2006 Dec 5. PMID: 17148559.

14. Siekaniec, Claire. “The Effects of Alcohol on Athletic Performance.” National Strength And Conditioning Association. June 2017. https://www.nsca.com/education/articles/nsca-coach/the-effects-of-alcohol-on-athletic-performance2/

15. Ebrahim, Irshaad O., et al. “Alcohol and Sleep I: Effects on Normal Sleep.” Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, vol. 37, no. 4, Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2013, pp. 539–49, doi:10.1111/acer.12006.

16. O’Brien, C P, and F Lyons. “Alcohol and the athlete.” Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) vol. 29,5 (2000): 295-300. doi:10.2165/00007256-200029050-00001

17. Wheatherspoon, Deborah .”Does Alcohol Dehydrate You?” Healthline. 23 May 2019. https://www.healthline.com/health/does-alcohol-dehydrate-you

18. “4 Ways Post-Workout Dehydration Relief is Crucial to Recovery.” Drip Drop. Accessed 24 August 2021. https://www.dripdrop.com/blog/nutrition-and-exercise/4-ways-post-workout-hydration-is-crucial-to-recovery

19. Arnarson, Atli. “Alcohol and Health: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.” Healthline. 29 October 2018. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/alcohol-good-or-bad

20. Monico, Nicolle. “Effects of Alcohol.” 18 June 2021. American Addiction Centers. https://www.alcohol.org/effects/

21. Seladi-Schulman, Jill. “What Are the Warning Signs of Alcohol-Related Liver Damage?” Healthline. 28 August 2020. https://www.healthline.com/health/early-signs-of-liver-damage-from-alcohol

22. Bettermann, Eddy. “How Alcohol Affects the Gut Microbiome.” Dr Eddy MD. 8 February 2017. https://dreddymd.com/2017/02/08/how-alcohol-affects-the-gut-microbiome/

23. Jewel, Tim. “What Causes Dysbiosis and How Is It Treated?” Healthline. 1 February 2019. https://www.healthline.com/health/digestive-health/dysbiosis

24. Baker, Eric. “Is Alcohol Consumption Connected to Candida?” Yeastinfection.org. Accessed 25 August 2021. https://www.yeastinfection.org/is-alcohol-consumption-connected-to-candida/

25. Bucko, Alexandra. “Ill-Digestion, Leaky Gut, and Deteriorating Effects of Anti-nutrients.” 5 August 2019. https://www.throughhealthandback.com/blog/2019/8/5/ill-digestion-leaky-gut-and-deteriorating-effects-of-antinutrients

26. Topiwala, Anya et. al. “Moderate alcohol consumption as risk factor for adverse brain outcomes and cognitive decline: longitudinal cohort study.” the bmj. 6 June 2017. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j2353