every part of your body including the
brain, liver, kidneys, gut and heart.
In the stomach and intestine,
alcohol can irritate the gut lining,
interfering with nutrient absorption
and reducing immune function (one
of the key functions of the gut wall).
In fact, poor nutrient absorption is a
key causative factor in malnutrition
seen in heavy drinkers – the result of
not just alcohol consumption replacing
nutritious foods, but that nutrients
simply cannot be adequately absorbed
through damaged gut walls.
Even in moderate drinkers, nutrient
absorption can be an issue. Folate is
perhaps the best example. Alcohol
blocks the absorption of this important
B vitamin, and inactivates folate
already present in blood and tissues.
Not only is folate important for the
healthy development of an embryonic
spinal cord (hence the advice for
pregnant women and those attempting
to become pregnant to avoid alcohol),
but it helps build DNA molecules,
important in keeping cells healthy
throughout our life. Inf lammation
is not limited to the gut wall either,
spreading throughout all body tissues.
Even moderate regular alcohol intake
can lead to chronic inf lammation,
which is increasingly being tied to
a range of chronic lifestyle diseases,
in addition to weight gain and,
specifically, the accumulation of fat
around our mid-section.
Beer belly
Enzymes produced in the liver
work hard metabolising alcohol into
acetate, which the body burns as
fuel – eventually exiting the body
as the waste products of carbon
dioxide and water. In the meantime,
as long as there is acetate to burn as
fuel, the body shuts down other fuel
sources. In other words, the body
will burn acetate before other calories
consumed (such as fat or sugar),
meaning that any caloric excess – the
burger and chips you ate with your
beer, for example – is more readily
stored in our fat cells. As many of us
can attest to, alcohol tends to lower
inhibitions that might otherwise
have helped us keep a check on
consumption. When tipsy, we can
find ourselves on a slippery slope –
more likely to abandon best laid plans
for healthy eating or weight goals – of
loosening our belts and tucking in.
Making the battle against the beer
belly even more difficult is that even
though alcohol contains calories,
often in significant quantities, booze
doesn’t satisfy us in the same way
as food does. In fact, alcohol can
increase appetite by reducing the
hormone leptin (the hormone that
usually helps us recognise when
we are full). Research shows that
alcohol also temporarily inhibit fat
oxidation, slowing metabolic rate
significantly. Further studies have
demonstrated that alcohol interferes
with our ability to synthesise muscle
glycogen, or build muscle mass. ThisEVEN MODERATE REGULAR
ALCOHOL INTAKE CAN LEAD
TO CHRONIC INFLAMMATION,
WHICH IS INCREASINGLY
BEING TIED TO A RANGE OF
CHRONIC LIFESTYLE DISEASES,
IN ADDITION TO WEIGHT
GAIN AND SPECIFICALLY
THE ACCUMULATION OF FAT
AROUND OUR MID-SECTION.