Does Alcohol Stop Fat Burning: Truth & Healthy Advices 2023

We are all too familiar with alcohol and its inclusion in beverages, foods, and desserts. 

In this article, I have covered some of the many negative effects of alcohol misuse, mainly surrounding alcoholism and weight gain. Does alcohol stop fat burning?

How Long Does Alcohol Stop Fat Burning?

The duration that ‘fat burning’ is ‘hijacked’ will depend on the dose of alcohol and the rate of metabolism. 

This is entirely dependent on the individual, but on average, we are looking at 24hrs^[2]. 

How Does Alcohol Affect Your Weight Loss?

The “Empty” Calories In Alcohol

Alcohol can be classified as its own nutrient, independent from the three macronutrients: dietary protein, fat, and carbohydrates. 

Unlike macronutrients, alcohol has no nutritional benefits.

This notorious substance contains 7 Kcal per gram, which can accumulate at accelerating rates due to its concentration in small quantities of most adult beverages.  

In fact, one medium glass of red wine contains around 2.3 units of alcohol (18.4g)^[3], which is equal to 128.8 calories. 

Now imagine ingesting 3 medium glasses of red wine in the night, that is a whopping 386.4 extra CALORIES!  

This is not too far-fetched, as the statistics in England alone show that 30% of men and 15% of women^[4] drink much more than 14 units of alcohol per week, with a majority coming from the weekend. 

Can Alcohol Be Used As A Primary Source Of Fuel?

Most of us are glycogen/glucose adapted, therefore carbohydrate is our prime fuel source.

Carbohydrates are consumed and then stored as glycogen in the muscle, liver, and brain to be used later. 

Unlike carbohydrates or even ketones (fat), alcohol is a poor source of energy as it only has a 15% metabolisable value^[5], hence why it is regarded as ’empty calories’. 

How Does Alcohol Affect Your Organs?

There are a number of organs that can be chronically damaged by alcohol misuse. 

These organs include the: liver, brain, heart, and pancreas^[6]. 

The most commonly affected organ is the liver^[7], due to having to decompose the toxins within alcohol. 

Over time, a layer of fatty tissue can build around the liver, increasing the risk of liver failure. 

How Does Alcohol Contribute To Excess Belly Fat?

You may be asking,  ‘why does alcohol make you fat?’ 

There are two main mechanisms by which alcohol may contribute to excess body and belly fat, which have been highlighted below. 

The ‘Caloric Surplus’ From Alcohol

Current research suggests that 1lb of body fat is equivalent to 3500 calories. 

Over time, the weight scale can tip in either direction, depending on if you are under or over your caloric maintenance. 

As we have already established, the ’empty’ calories in alcohol increase the risk of a caloric surplus (over-caloric maintenance), thereby accumulating body and belly fat. 

To put this into perspective for the layman, a caloric surplus is eating and drinking more calories than the human organism needs to maintain its current body weight. 

For example, let’s say your average maintenance calories (calories to maintain weight) sit at roughly 2000 calories per day.

The diet and exercise regime are going great. It comes the weekend and you become ‘trigger-happy’ with the drinks and guzzle 18-20 units of alcohol (144-160g of alcohol). 

This short drinking bout can add as much as an extra 1120 calories, giving a weekly average of 2160 calories per day (160 calories too many). 

Over the course of 3 weeks, you could expect a 1lb weight gain, contributing to the body and belly fat. 

Note that the example above is generic and caloric requirements vary from person to person.

Alcohol And Muscle Protein Synthesis (MPS)

The body is constantly synthesizing (building) and decomposing muscle proteins (breaking down). 

This mechanism can be influenced by acute dietary intake, which may link to long-term changes in muscle mass and body fat. 

How so? 

For every 1lb of muscle mass, we burn 7-10 calories, which can dictate long term body and belly fat. 

A 2014 study by Steiner and Lang found that MPS can drop by 15%^[8] 30 minutes after high alcohol intake. 

Overall, Alcohol consumption has the potential to reduce protein signaling, muscle mass, and metabolism,  contributing to the long-term body and belly fat. 

Alcohol Affects Judgment Calls… Especially With Food

Alcohol is an intoxicant, when consumed in high amounts it may interfere with neural pathways (brain), thus reducing judgment. 

With reduced judgment calls, you may opt for certain foods that are high in fat and calories. 

In the UK, it is common for ‘drunks’ to go for a big greasy donner kebab and chips, yielding up to 2000 calories. 

All in all, these calories drive toward the unwanted caloric surplus, which may hinder weight management. 

Negatively Affect Your Sleep

Without delving into too much detail, there are 4 stages of sleep (falling asleep, light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep). 

REM or the dream stage is crucial for restoring brain and body health, in terms of muscle fibers, hormones, alertness, mood, etc. 

High levels of alcohol in the bloodstream have been shown elongate the time it takes to get to sleep and impair REM^[9]. 

Sex Hormones

Alcohol is especially risky in males. 

Reduced REM sleep could cause poor restoration of the male hormone testosterone, thus increasing the ratio of the women hormone estrogen^[10]. 

This coupled with interactions between alcohol and the chemicals in the hypothalamus/pituitary gland of the brain, you could expect an impairment in testosterone pathways^[11] over the long term. 

Subsequently, this could reduce libido, sexual arousal, and sperm count. 

Furthermore, the disruption in the nervous system may reduce blood flow to the penis. 

This would prolong the onset of an erection and reduce the overall quality. 

Affects Digestion And Nutrient Uptake

High quantities of alcohol may decrease the production of digestive enzymes^[12] via the pancreas, therefore hindering digestion. 
Likewise, alcohol may degrade the cell lining^[13] of the intestines and stomach, thus negatively impacting nutrient uptake.

Best Low-Calorie Alcoholic Drinks For Weight Loss

For most of you, a drink here and there is important for social gatherings and parties. 

The better option would be to opt for the drinks that have a lower alcohol content

I have highlighted a few drinks below.

Lite Beer

A lite beer (2% alcohol) is a great low-calorie alternative to a regular pint, as it only contains 1.1 units of alcohol (8.8g/61.6 calories)^[14]. 

Let’s just say that you get more ‘bang for your buck’, as lite beer will give you more drinks per serving compared to rum or vodka.

Vodka (40% Alcohol)

Does Vodka make you fat? 

Possibly, but a serving is lower in alcohol and calories compared to many drinks. 

Vodka stands at 40%^[15] ABV, but only contains around 1.4 units of alcohol per 35 ml serving, which is equivalent to 11.2g of alcohol and 78 calories. 

I would not suggest more than a serving per night. 

Rum (40% Alcohol)

Rum has a similar alcohol content compared to vodka with an ABV of 37.5-40%^[16]. 

Many prefer a smaller 25 ml serving of rum, which is equivalent to 0.9 units of alcohol or 7.2g (50.4 calories). 

Whisky (40% Alcohol)

On par with many other drinks Whisky has an ABV of 40%.^[17]

A 50 ml serving will yield 2 units of alcohol or 16g with a low 112 calories. 

Conclusion

Alcoholic beverages consumed in high amounts can cause one to gain weight through their ’empty calories, and long-term dip in skeletal muscle/metabolic rate. 

Alcohol can hinder activity and exercise as it interrupts the body of other preferred energy substrates, like fatty acids and glucose. 

The substance reduces judgment, therefore you are likely to go for high calories foods, increasing the risk of weight gain. 

Other negative effects include organ damage, sleep, hormone balance, and the processing of nutrients. 

If you do drink, the take-home message would be to opt for a beverage with a lower amount of alcohol per serving and limit servings. 

Frequently Asked Questions