Question: Does alcohol affect athletic performance and recovery?

In a word absolutely! Alcohol is the second leading killer of athletic potential next to laziness. Alcohol has been found to reduce blood flow to muscles starving them of adequate nutrition neccessary for growth and recovery.  It also negatively affects growth hormone and testosterone release by altering the kind of sleep that help athletes recover from intense training and competition.

Drinking also leads to an increase in body fat. A recent study indicated that fat burning is reduced by as much as 73% when alcohol is consumed. This alone can be a major issue because alcohol has 7 calories/gram. Knowing that pure sugar has 4 calories/gram and pure fat has 9 calories/gram one would think that limiting alcohol would be a wise decision. The reality is, after having a few drinks with friends, most people don’t go looking for  healthy fruits and vegetables, they crave pizza, burritos, fast food or even high fat breakfast foods. If alcohol reduces fat burning, you can guess where that late night craving will be deposited. Thats right, on your abdomen right on top of where you would want your six pack to be. This is bad news if you are trying to be an elite athlete.

Check out the link below to see how a Tenessee Titans running back reduced his body fat by eliminating alcohol.

Link: Lendale White

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