CAN ALCOHOL PROMOTE WEIGHT INCREASE?


  1.  Alcohol has a high calorific value

  2. The guidelines for healthy eating indicate avoiding the consumption of alcoholic beverages.

  3. In addition to the amount consumed, other factors influence the effects of alcohol.

  4. Alcohol can be particularly harmful to pregnant and breastfeeding women.



L ' alcohol is not a nutrient but a substance that the body identifies as foreign. Beyond the calories that alcoholic beverages can bring, they carry a harmful substance and therefore should always be avoided.

Girls, if you want to understand if alcohol makes you fat and other useful information on the subject, we advise you not to miss this post! Are you ready? Let's get started right away!

ALCOHOL AND HEALTH EFFECTS

L ' alcohol or ethanol, is a toxic substance capable of acting at the level of the central nervous system by altering the physical and mental functions.



Among its harmful effects, from a nutritional point of view, alcohol also has a negative impact on the quality of the diet since, in high doses, it can compromise the ability to metabolize nutrients.

THE VARIOUS SOURCES OF ALCOHOL

We can divide alcoholic beverages into fermented drinks such as wine and beer, distilled ones including rum and vodka, and liqueur products such as bitters, digestives, and some aperitifs.


Alcohol sources also include the so-called “alcopops” generally sparkling and with a sweet taste.

WHAT DOES AN ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE CONTAIN?

Obviously what characterizes these drinks is the presence of alcohol which can be present in very variable quantities.

The only other components that we find in alcohol in significant quantities are sugars.



The alcohol unit is the quantity of alcohol that a drink represents and in Italy it corresponds to 12 g. We would like to underline that although there is no risk-free alcohol consumption (it is always better to avoid), the quota defined as compatible with a "low risk" is up to 2 alcohol units for men, 1 for women, and 0 below. 18 years old.

To find out how many grams of alcohol a drink contains, simply multiply the alcohol content on the label by 0.79 and by the volume (expressed in deciliters) of what we consume.

In practice, a glass of wine that is 1.25 deciliters with an alcohol content of 12% will contain about 12 grams of alcohol or 12% multiplied by 1.25 deciliters and 0.79.

BIOACTIVE COMPOUNDS, LET'S TAKE THEM FROM FRUIT AND VEGETABLES

Unfortunately, it happens that alcoholic beverages are enhanced for their content in bioactive molecules, perhaps the name resveratrol can remind us of something. Indeed, in fermented beverages compounds can be found that derive from the raw materials from which they are obtained, that is, fruit and cereals.



We would like to clarify that we cannot consider wine or beer as a useful source of these compounds! In fact, there are other factors to take into consideration.

First of all, the quantities contained are truly negligible, furthermore, let's remember that these drinks carry a toxic substance.

For these reasons, alcohol should be avoided and it is not possible under any circumstances to promote its consumption.

We find these bioactive molecules in much higher quantities in fruit and vegetables, foods whose consumption plays a protective role for our health.

THE METABOLISM OF ALCOHOL

The effects of alcohol depend not only on the total amount taken but also on what is called alcohol, that is the concentration reached in the blood.

Several factors can influence blood alcohol, including how it is taken, body composition, and gender.

As for the characteristics of the drink, in addition to the alcohol content, the presence of carbon dioxide can also play a role since it is able to accelerate the absorption of alcohol.

Conversely, drinking on a full stomach will slow down the absorption of ethanol. Therefore it is strongly discouraged to take alcoholic beverages on an empty stomach.

The consumption of alcohol during pregnancy and breastfeeding is particularly risky as this substance is able to cross the placenta and spread into breast milk, representing a risk for both mother and baby.