Explore the does alcohol make you gain weight potential reasons for unexpected weight gain, and learn when they might be cause for concern. Learn why you may gain weight during your period and what amount of weight gain is considered normal. The combination of emotional eating and increased appetite from medication can make managing weight more challenging for those struggling with depression. Additionally, medications such as antidepressants commonly prescribed for depression can contribute to weight gain by increasing appetite. Additionally, liver disease can cause fluid retention and bloating, further contributing to weight gain.

How Does Daylight Savings Time Impact Wellness?

But there are a few specific ways it can affect your weight, too. Discover how drinking green tea may help you lose weight and the other benefits of consuming this beverage. If you’re struggling to lose weight, LifeMD’s Weight Management Program can provide the guidance and support you need to reach your goals. The program offers patients access to ongoing clinical care and GLP-1 medication, when medically appropriate, to help you lose weight and keep it off. You’re more likely to lose weight by combining alcohol reduction with healthier lifestyle choices. Alcohol can worsen depression by altering brain chemistry and increasing feelings of sadness.

Does Alcohol Dehydrate You? Understanding The Health Risks

Many people recognize that they feel puffier after a night of heavier drinking, but that will go away once the alcohol leaves your system and you rehydrate. Overall, the empty calories that come from alcoholic drinks are a significant contributor to gaining weight from alcohol. In the cohort studies, the researchers found no significant association between people who drank alcohol and weight gain, regardless of how much they drank. Women who participated in binge drinking were not only more likely to have obesity but were also more likely to be attempting weight loss. Observational studies on the effect of alcohol intake on obesity date back almost 30 years 6.

It Increases Your Calorie Intake

Alcohol is « kind of a stressor for your body, so it can cause your body to lose proper cortisol secretion, » Lashinger says. That can make it easy to inadvertently consume more calories than you need. Despite containing a lot of energy, alcohol also doesn’t have the same satiating effect as solid food. To prevent alcohol poisoning and possible death your liver focuses https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/effects-of-alcohol-on-the-body-is-drinking-alcohol-bad/ all its energy on metabolizing, or breaking down, the alcohol into non-toxic components.

Lifestyle Quizzes

• At Second Nature, you’re provided with a registered nutritionist or dietitian who can support you manage your alcohol intake to suit your lifestyle and preferences.
• We need vitamins and minerals for essential biological processes like cellular metabolism and regulating inflammatory pathways.
• Alcohol is also high in calories but lacks nutrients supporting good health.
• You may have heard of the term « beer belly. » Still, the belief that alcohol causes increased fat stores around the abdominal area is inaccurate.
• Many fitness enthusiasts wonder how their weekend drinks or happy hour cocktail with friends might be affecting their progress in the gym.

Lastly, an indirect way that alcohol can make you gain weight is by impeding your workouts. Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram, which is more than carbohydrates and protein (4 kcal/g) but less than fat (9 kcal/g). By working in these strategies, you can still enjoy alcohol in moderation while working toward your weight loss goals.

There are several direct and indirect ways that heavy drinking can make you gain weight or, more specifically, gain body fat. There’s no evidence to show that drinking beer contributes specifically to weight gain around the abdomen area, aka the beer belly. But there’s plenty of evidence that beer and other types of alcohol play a role in weight gain in general — and you don’t have to be a heavy or frequent drinker for beer to lend itself to extra pounds. The not-so-simple answer is that, yes, drinking alcohol can probably cause weight gain in many people.

If you consume too much of it, you can develop alcohol poisoning or even die. This is important for potential weight gain because it dictates how your body reacts to alcohol. « Beer belly » refers to that protruding stomach some men carry around.