Can Alcohol Make You Fat - Essay Example

Can Alcohol Make You Fat? Introduction The questions of the effects of alcohol consumption on weight loss carry a number of ramifications for personal health and wellness. Indeed, there is an ongoing debate within health and nutrition research on whether alcohol consumption actually has health benefits. Indeed, a recent study by the Archives of Internal Medicine even noted results that attested to potential weight loss benefits among moderate female drinkers. Conversely, Heron’s article Can alcohol make you fat? argues that the results of this study are counter to a substantial majority of research that attests to the tendency of alcohol to cause increased levels of fat accumulation within the body. This essay considers the strengths and weaknesses of Heron’s article, as well as the implications it holds for overall health and wellness in the frame of this course and the course materials. Health Implications and Relevance to Canadian Society The issue of the relation of health and alcohol consumption is highly relevant to Canadian society for a variety of factors. The most overarching factor in this regard is simply the amount of Canadians that regularly participate in alcohol consumption. The Study Guide indicates that “80% of Canadians aged 15 years and older consume alcohol. Sixteen per cent of those people reported a usual pattern of consuming five or more drinks in a ‘drinking day’” (pg. 78). It’s clear then that alcohol consumption is not merely an issue for college students or alcoholics, but a semi-regular occurrence for an overwhelming majority of the population. As a result of the high number of Canadian citizens engaging in alcohol consumption, it’s imperative to investigate this trend as it relates to health concerns in terms of frequency and high risk behavior. In these regards, other startling facts are immediately brought to one’s attention; among the 80 per cent of Canadians that consume alcoholic beverages, nearly 17 per cent were considered to be within the high risk category (Study Guide). In terms of high risk behavior, the demographics were more highly skewed than the broader categorization of individuals who merely consume alcohol. Indeed, it’s noted that the highest amounts of individuals in high risk categories reside in the Northwest Territories, and also the high risk rate is more characteristic of males than females. While the most important implication of these findings is without a doubt related to health concerns in terms of liver, kidney functions, and general safety, the varying levels of alcohol consumption in terms of demographics are also important in terms of weight gain when considering the relative levels of social acceptability and experience drinkers experience with alcohol consumption. Considering the overall health effects, the text indicates, “Heavy drinking destroys the liver, weakens the heart, elevates blood pressure, damages the brain, and increases the risk of cancer” (Hales, Lauzon, 2007, pg. 299). This is not to indicate that all alcohol consumption is considered deleterious to one’s health. Indeed, the text indicates that some outside sources believe that the consumption of alcohol in appropriate moderation can actually have positive health benefits. The potential benefits include reduction or outright prevention of diabetes, depression, and hypertension. The question of the health benefits of consuming alcohol remains highly controversial however, as other research argues against these claims, indicating instead that studies that indicate the positive benefits of alcohol consumption among moderate drinkers may be skewed as it’s also possible that the segment of society that are moderate drinkers remains physically active, and regularly visits physicians for health check-ups; it’s also possible that the members that were tested for these studies were all of a particular age bracket so that the results were be further skewed to match the particular demographic health traits of this group. Relevance to the Course Materials Why the study’s title, Can alcohol make you fat? has the connotation of being overly concerned with cosmetic concerns, and more appropriate for inclusion in publications such as Seventeen or Cosmopolitan upon review it’s clear that the questions it investigates are of great concern to the materials covered in this course. In examining the interrelation between the consumption of alcohol and weight or fat gain one must consider the varying health, nutrition, and wellness concerns that are cornerstone elements of this course. Indeed, both the Study Guide, as well as the Chapter 12 section in the text on alcohol, explore the varying health concerns related to alcohol consumption. In addition, the question of alcohol consumption and weight gain is also interrelated with questions of wellness in that it’s possible that individuals who drink for specific reasons, such as depression, may be more apt to drink to excess causing increased fat accumulation. Conversely, drinkers with a more balanced lifestyle may tend towards types of moderate drinking that actually has some health benefits. In these regards, the question of alcohol consumption has a direct link with many of the questions that were explored in the course materials related to Holistic Lifestyles, as it seems that alcohol consumption is not simply a matter of weight gain or not, but ultimately intimately related to the level of wellness one has achieved in their personal life. Critique Robin Heron’s article Can alcohol make you fat? examines a recent study in the Archives of Internal Medicine that argues that women who are moderate drinkers may be less obese than women who don’t drink at all. The article indicates that while the study demonstrates these results there are a number of researchers that object to the findings. Perhaps the article’s greatest strength is in the objections it presents to the Archives of Internal Medicine’s claim that moderate drinkers may be less obese than drinkers. For instance, it cites Dr. Joey Schulman whose book The Last 15: A Weight Loss Breakthrough argues that the information in the study is counter to the vast majority of previous research and that in actuality alcohol contributes to weight gain. Instead, the article cites Schulman as stating, “There is a substantial amount of information out there to show that alcohol results in a loss of inhibitions about food choices and increases calorie intake – and its not just the calories that lead to weight gain, but the fact that alcohol is processed in the body in a different way which promotes fat storage” (Schulman as cited in Heron 2010, Web). Heron herself supplements this quote by indicating that the calories within alcoholic beverages will be processed within the body before other sources of nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. It’s clear that the article is highly biased towards indicating the negative effects of alcohol consumption. While it’s accurate that many studies indicate that alcohol contributes to weight gain, there are also a number of researchers that argue in accord with the original Archives of Internal Medicine article. Indeed, a recent article indicated that, “Scientists have not been able to tie alcohol consumption consistently to weight gain. Some studies have found that drinking beer or spirits, for instance, increases waist-to-hip ratio, while some have found no relationship at all” (How alcohol affects weight loss, 2010, Web). However, it’s notable that this article also confirms many of the claims in Heron’s article, such as that alcohol is processed before other nutrients. When considering the direct effects of alcohol on weight loss it’s necessary to consider the way that one’s metabolism reacts to alcohol consumption. Alcohol is a diuretic in that it rapidly increases the excretion of liquid from the human body. Sources indicate that this is actually contributes to weight gain in that it empties the body of necessary minerals, while contributing nothing of nutritional value to one’s diet (Noelcke, 2010, Web). The text also indicates that 95 per cent of alcohol is converted to water and carbon dioxide. The remaining 5 per cent is “excreted unchanged, mainly through urination, respiration, and perspiration” (Hales, Lauzon, 2007, pg. 299). The text indicates that within the digestive system alcohol is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream where it metabolizes and ultimately enters into the liver. When in the liver, which is one of the organs primarily responsible for turning food into fat, the alcohol is metabolized into fat; furthermore the text indicates that over time – a period of weeks -- when one consistently drinks four or five drinks in a sitting the liver cells begin to accumulate fat. The implications of this for weight gain are highly evident; namely, in that alcohol has a direct line through the bloodstream to the liver which is the primary processor of fat cells the probability of alcohol consumption resulting in an individual gain weight and fat from drinking is greatly increased. In addition, the means by which fat accumulation in liver cells occurs is highly relevant for examining the question of whether the study is accurate in stating that alcohol can contribute to fat gain. In these regards, the text indicates that prolonged alcohol use over a period of weeks has higher potential of causing fat accumulation than does periodic alcohol consumption. While alcohol consumption directly affects fat gain through liver cells, there are also a number of ways in which alcohol consumption can potentially indirectly affect weight loss or weight gain. Drinking is argued to have benefits for cardiovascular health. In these regards, alcohol consumption might be linked to improved potential for physical fitness which could indirectly effect whether alcohol does or doesn’t contribute to weight gain. For instance, it’s argued that Beer improves longevity, as well as shortens the recovery time after a heart attack (Hales, Lauzon 2007). Alcohol can also affect the immune system in negative ways by decreasing white blood cell production; in these regards alcohol can also indirectly affect weight loss or gain. When considering my personal opinions on the subject I tend to side with Heron in recognizing that alcohol consumption contributes to weight loss. While the exact details of the Archives of Internal Medicine study aren’t included, from a preponderance of the research it seems fairly clear that in most physiological ways alcohol contributes to increased fat production and subsequent weight gain. It seems highly likely that any study that would indicate alcohol contributes to weight loss is based on evidence in which indirect connections, such as trends specific to the specific demographic that was tested, or indirect links, such as potential contributions to cardiovascular health that could contribute to long-term fitness gains and subsequent weight loss. Overall, the article is highly effective as an information piece in indicating that in most general circumstances alcohol contributes to weight gain, and that dieters who drink must consider ways that they can combat this through increased consideration of health. References Hales, Dianne; Lauzon, Lara. An invitation to Health 1st Canadian edition. 2007 Neilson Education Inc. Heron, R. (2010) ‘Can alcohol make you fat?’ Canadian Living. http://www.canadianliving.com/health/nutrition/can_alcohol_make_you_fat.php ‘How alcohol affects weight loss’. (2010) Shapefit. http://www.shapefit.com/alcohol- calories.html Noelcke, L. (2010). ‘Alcohol and Weight Loss’. Spark People. http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/nutrition_articles.asp?id=563 Study Guide: Introduction to Human Health Read More