Tailgates, festivals, daylongs, birthdays, bar crawls... The list of drinking occasions goes on. Although college offers many alcohol-free events, many universities are known for having a drinking culture. Students are well-versed in the effects of consuming alcohol after health classes in high school -- impairments in vision, loss of coordination, intoxication, and death -- yet unfortunately, the actual metabolism of alcohol is often discussed in only a cursory manner, especially with respect to food.
Here is the truth about drinking on an empty stomach:
To clear up calorie confusion, alcohol has 7 kilocalories/gram (kcal/gram). This value is more than 4 kcal/gram for protein and carbohydrates, but less than fat, 9 kcal/gram. However, how the body responds to food has to do with more than calories. Alcohol does not provide any nutrients.
Unlike food, alcohol does not need to be digested. It is absorbed directly across the walls of an empty stomach and reaches the brain within minutes. When a person has food in her stomach, alcohol has a reduced chance of coming in contact with the walls and diffusing. As a result, the impact on the brain is slightly delayed. If someone does not "feel drunk" right away, rushing for a second drink is still not a good idea. Besides, most parties last more than an hour, so there's no hurry.
Eating snacks is important when drinking, even for early morning tailgates. Carbohydrates de-accelerate the absorption of alcohol. Fatty foods slow the movement of food through the digestive tract. The two will reduce the immediate negative effects of alcohol consumption. The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology has found that the consumption of food increases the elimination rates of alcohol on the whole as well.
If alcohol does not diffuse directly through the stomach, the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase in the stomach will begin to break down alcohol. Women produce less of this enzyme than men, so they absorb more alcohol. The enzyme also will not break down all of the alcohol.
Alcohol can not be stored in the body, so it must be broken down in the liver immediately. The liver will divert its resources to metabolize alcohol over preferred fatty acids. As a result, fatty acids build up in the liver. Heavy drinkers ultimately develop a fatty liver, literally. Not eating for as little as a day will cause the body to break down proteins like these crucial enzymes.
The breakdown of alcohol is only the beginning. An article from Nutrition Reviews has reported that from a metabolic perspective, alcohol promotes obesity nearly as efficiently as fat. To put it in perspective, one ounce of alcohol can be viewed as half an ounce of fat. Upon being broken down, the components will likely enter fatty acid synthesis if they do not enter the TCA cycle. Alcohol also diminishes the metabolism of proteins.
On occasion someone will argue that beer is a source of carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals. The truth of the matter is that most of the kcals come from alcohol, and the vitamins and minerals do not compare at all with food.
Alcohol is not a nutrient. Don't drink without eating. Drink responsibly.
