More human research is needed to understand how alcohol affects hunger. One animal study published in 2017 found that alcohol activates cells in your brain that signal intense hunger. While alcohol doesn’t necessarily affect everyone the same way, it can cause some people to gain weight due to its high-calorie content and the way it affects metabolism, hunger-hormones, and decision making.
- She is past chair of the ACLM’s registered dietitian member interest group, secretary of the women’s health member interest group, and nutrition faculty for many of ACLM’s other course offerings.
- If the drinker compensates for the calories in alcohol by decreasing calorie intake from food, this would explain the lack of weight change with moderate drinking.
- In this article, we describe how alcohol can cause a bloated appearance in the stomach.
- This is important for potential weight gain because it dictates how your body reacts to alcohol.
- Eliminating or reducing alcohol consumption is a common dieting behavior.
- Still, the study suggests that cutting out alcohol isn’t a reliable way to lose weight in the short term, and, over the course of years, may only have a small effect at most.
Alcohol Intake and Obesity: Potential Mechanisms
Aside from the immediate influence on appetite that comes from alcohol consumption, there are also effects on energy storage. Alcohol inhibits fat oxidation, suggesting that frequent alcohol consumption could lead to fat sparing, and thus higher body fat in the long term 62. However, the results of the various cross-sectional and longitudinal studies examined in this review do not unequivocally support such a hypothesis. Finally, there is also evidence to suggest that traits that predispose individuals to binge drinking may also predispose to binge eating 66. Prospective studies have looked at the association between alcohol intake and adiposity gain in various populations, with follow-up periods ranging from several months to 20 years 4, 30, 31.
Tips for Mindful Drinking to Support Weight Management
It has also been suggested that some of the energy ingested as alcohol is ‘wasted’, due to the activation of the inefficient hepatic microsomal ethanol-oxidizing system (MEOS). The MEOS is induced through chronic alcohol intake, and the level of induction increases with increased intake 54, 67. Oxidation of alcohol via the MEOS produces less ATP than oxidation via alcohol dehydrogenase, using the energy from alcohol intake primarily to enhance heat production 37, 54. The extent to which wasted energy from regular alcohol consumption contributes to weight gain prevention is unclear.
The connection between alcohol and weight gain is a lot more tenuous than you’d think.
- As a result, people who drink heavily may have high cortisol levels.
- Cirrhosis, on the other hand, is irreversible and can lead to liver failure and liver cancer, even if you abstain from alcohol.
- Eating food while drinking can help slow the absorption of alcohol, but some foods can also increase the risk of bloating, including fatty foods.
- Alcohol also reduces inhibition and good decision-making, meaning you are much more likely to throw your healthy eating plan straight out of the window and make nachos after you’ve had a few.
So you’ve had a rough night out, and the only remedy is to stress eat donuts, burgers, and crisps all afternoon while lying on the couch under a blanket of shame. You’re stressed, so you’ll likely crave junk food to feel better again. Let’s say you wake up with terrible anxiety or a mind full of regrets from last night’s behavior. You’ve doubled the recommended caloric intake of an entire day in the span of a few hours. Now that alcohol is in your body, it is being converted to acetate, which your body LOVE, LOVE, LOVES. Or maybe you’ve had a rough day and treated yourself to half a standard bottle of Rosé.
Alcohol and weight gain
You’ve likely considered what you’re eating, what you’re not eating and of course, how much you’re moving. And if you drink alcohol, you may have thought about that as well. Alcohol spikes cortisol levels in the body, which contributes to the accumulation of belly fat. It also impedes your ability to get a good night’s sleep, further contributing to belly fat. That’s an additional 2,000-3,000 calories of fatty, salty, nutritionally poor food sitting in your stomach, which is still reeling from the 4,000+ nighttime calories you crammed into it less than 12 hours ago.
Mindful Eating Strategies for the Holiday Season
Overall, the empty calories that come from alcoholic drinks are a significant contributor to gaining weight from alcohol. In the cohort studies, the researchers found no significant association between people who drank alcohol and weight gain, regardless of how much they drank. You may already be aware of some of the more unsavory side effects of alcohol, especially when you overdo it. It can increase anxiety, heighten your blood pressure and even affect your brain.
Red Wine (105 Calories per 5 oz Serving)
Alcohol consumption can also interfere with your digestive system. It may slow down the digestion process and cause temporary gastrointestinal disturbances such as gas or constipation. These disruptions contribute to a feeling of heaviness and can make your weight measurement a bit higher than usual.
- Hormone therapy usually is used to help with hot flashes that affect quality of life.
- A 2023 study found that alcohol consumption contributes to fat deposits around the body, including the stomach, which can cause a bloated appearance.
While your body deals with metabolizing and eliminating the toxic alcohol, all of the food you just ate (or ate semi-recently) will likely end up being stored as fat. Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram, which is more than carbohydrates and protein (4 kcal/g) but less than fat (9 kcal/g). “Across the board, for people who are trying to lose some weight, cutting out empty calories is a good place to start,” emphasizes Dr. Heinberg. Pancreatitis can be a short-term (acute) condition that clears up in a few days. But prolonged alcohol abuse can lead to chronic (long-term) pancreatitis, which can be severe.
How to get rid of alcohol bloating
Research has found that elevated cortisol levels may increase abdominal weight gain. Cortisol redistributes fat tissue to your abdominal region and increases cravings for high-calorie foods. Weight is certainly not the only factor when it comes to health. Still, there are a few things you may want to know does rum make you gain weight about alcohol intake and body composition if you think drinking may affect your weight.