The Ball State Daily News Online

Section: NEWS
Originally published: 3/18/08 at 1:08 AM EST
Last update: 3/18/08 at 1:06 AM EST

[Click to enlarge]

Spring Break has come and gone, but for the party goers, the calories from alcohol are here to stay.

Kimberli Pike, family and consumer sciences instructor, said calories in alcohol can lead to weight gain for people and the only way to combat that is through moderation.

She said alcohol is more similar to fat than protein or carbohydrates. Alcohol has seven calories per gram and fat has nine calories per gram, while protein and carbohydrates have four calories per gram, she said.

Pike said calories in alcohol are empty calories, meaning those seven calories have no nutritional quality.

Calories found in alcohol are not like the calories in carbohydrates because they can't be used to fuel the body immediately, she said. Alcohol has to go through several steps in the liver to break down into something the body can use, she said.

"It is broken down differently," she said. "It is considered a toxin so it is a threat to the body."

The liver is a major metabolic organ, she said, and when it is asked to break down alcohol, other sources of energy are not broken down.

Because alcohol is viewed as a threat, the liver stops breaking down other foods and concentrates on breaking down alcohol, she said.

Pike said because the liver is asked to metabolize so much alcohol, it can expand, which might cause the stomach to get larger as well.

Alcohol does not have many carbohydrates in them, she said.

Beer has a few carbohydrates per serving and straight alcohol has none, she said. Wine has two to three grams of carbohydrates per serving, Pike said.

In mixed drinks, the drink might have carbohydrates because of what the alcohol is mixed with, she said.

Alcohol Education Coordinator Anna Lamb said when people abuse alcohol, it goes to their stomachs and stays there because it is most elastic.

Age is a factor as well, she said, because gravity affects the body over time and might contribute to "beer bellies."

Pike said women should limit themselves to one drink a day and men can have two a day.

Lamb said one sure-fire way to avoid gaining weight from alcohol is not drinking at all.

"It's not a brain teaser there," she said.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools