Alcohol and Sex Drive
March 9, 2009
I HATE TO USE WILY WAYS TO GET MEN TO READ MY articles, but I find that once I have their attention, even if I switch to a broader topic, they will usually hear me out. I also forgot to include the word ‘FITNESS” in my title. It should read “Fitness, Alcohol and Men’s Sex Drive”.
But my initial point is valid .What most men don’t realize is that drinking ALOT (yes, I see those jumbo Foster’s Beer cans on the commuter trains home in the evening) has a far more damaging effect “down south” if you get my point, than you can predict simply by looking at the number of alcohol calories on a bottle.
First of all, alcohol reduces the number of fat calories you burn.That sluggish feeling after one too many? That’s your system’s response to drinking. It s-l-o-w-s down.The slower the system, the less energy (calories) it burns.
Not to mention how a cocktail can also increase your appetite. And the whammies just stack up higher when, simultaneously, your self-discipline and decision-making skills conversely go down.
Did I forget, until now, to mention that testosterone levels are markedly lower for up to 24 hours after you finish drinking?
Men might deduct that their “beer belly” is caused by excess alcohol calories stored by your body as fat. Not true! Less than five percent of the actual alcohol calories you consume are turned into fat.
Instead, the major effect of alcohol is to reduce the amount of fat your body burns for energy.
Del Millers,PhD reports in new research that fat metabolism can be reduced by as much as 73% after only two drinks of vodka and lemonade in a one hour time period!
He tells us that the primary effect of alcohol on the body is not so much how much of it gets stored as fat, but how it shuts down the body’s ability to access your fat stores for energy.
Dr. Millers reports that alcohol in the body is converted into a substance called acetate. In his study, blood levels of acetate were 2.5 times higher than normal after only two drinks. And it appears that this sharp rise in blood acetate puts the brakes on fat burning.
Dr. Miller continues, “Unlike a car that uses primarily one source of fuel, the body is able to draw from a number of different sources (carbohydrates, fats and proteins). To a certain extent, the source of fuel your body uses is dictated by its availability. Consequently, when your blood acetate levels rise, your body simply uses more acetate instead of fat.”
Interesting.
Now to the Sex Drive part.
Not only does alcohol dampen your ability to burn fat, it’s also one of the quickest ways to tank
testosterone levels.
In only one binge of heavy drinking, you raise levels of the muscle-wasting hormone cortisol and accelerate the breakdown of testosterone for up to 24 hours.
Here’s the FITNESS part!
The damaging effects of alcohol on testosterone are exaggerated when you exercise before drinking. And who doesn’t like a good workout right before a night with the boys?
Your take away message is that drinking a lot and a leaner, stronger body is a toxic mixed drink.
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