Alcohol & Fat Burning

Alcohol is primarily made out of carbohydrates, but it is a special kind of carb that metabolizes differently from others, due in part to the fact that it is fermented. Some foods are more conducive to fat burning than others. Alcohol consumption interferes with fat burning, which may hinder efforts to lose weight.

Weight Loss

In order to lose weight, you must create an environment within your body that sustains a state in which fat is burned for energy instead of glucose, the primary molecule used in the process of cellular respiration. This is achieved when the body no longer has an ample amount of energy on hand. A calorie deficit, where the number of calories burned exceeds the number of calories consumed, deprives your body of immediate energy triggering it to begin burning fat.

Metabolism

Alcohol is absorbed in the gastrointestinal tract, but it cannot be stored by the cells. Thus, the body must oxidize alcohol to get rid of it. Oxidation essentially means that it is being burned up. However, this oxidation can only occur in the liver, where the proper protein enzymes are located to facilitate alcohol metabolism. The alcohol is metabolized into acetate, which is then broken down to carbon dioxide and water.

Significance

According to Dr. Andrew Weil, a Harvard educated doctor currently working at the University of Arizona Health Sciences Center, the acetate from alcohol metabolism is the first fuel to burn for energy. During this time, the body will burn very little of any other form of energy such as the fatty acids stored up in adipose tissue, postponing the act of weight loss. A study published in "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" found that the metabolism of alcohol decreased whole body lipid oxidation by 73 percent.

Considerations

Many carbohydrates are stored as a backup source of energy in the liver and muscles called glycogen, a long chain of glucose units. Alcohol, however, does not. Therefore, your body will return immediately to a fat burning state once the alcohol is used up. This may take up to a few hours after you have finished consuming alcohol.

Warning

Weight loss may still be achieved if alcohol consumption is done in moderation, as long as you are burning more fat than you are putting on. However, many individuals do not drink in moderation. The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism reports that 15.5 percent of all adults in the United States participated in binge drinking--five or more drinks in a single sitting--at least once a month in 2008. Binge drinking adds calories to the diet and prevents the body from metabolizing fat that might otherwise be burned.