Calories from Alcohol

Same with pork.

9 per gram. edit: nevermind. 7.

I have no medical basis, but could it do with it being a liquid that is processed faster through your system than food? And all this time I was blaming my ex's weight on her drinking so much..

I think the theory is that alcohol slows your metabolism, so that it takes longer to burn off alcohol calories (or I guess whatever other calories are around at the time).

The calories aren't overstated. They're measured ex vivo, which means fluctuations between individuals and how the calories turned into real energy are never a factor. Gasoline contains large amounts of energy as well, but it won't make you fat.

Alcohol is very complex. I will say that yes, in general, the calories in alcohol are 'overstated', but bear in mind that this doesn't mean the measurement is incorrect, but merely that it does not account for other processes that counteract the energy given by the alcohol intake. For instance, the mild increase in heart rate induced by alcohol as well as its relatively high thermogenic effect mitigate the amount of energy it actually provides the body (around 30% of the potential energy of alcohol goes toward the detoxification process). Beyond the involuntary metabolism of alcohol that requires energy, alcohol will often increase the amount of energy an individual voluntarily uses (think late-night dancing in a night club). In addition, alcohol energy is sometimes lost during binge drinking or in alcoholics where the alcohol is not fully detoxified and alcohol's potential energy is lost when its metabolite, acetaldehyde, enters the bloodstream where it can damage tissues and cause diseases such as cirrhosis.

Furthermore, much of the energy provided by alcohol is provided by its eventual metabolite, acetic acid (the same stuff produced by bacteria that feed on ethanol to create vinegar and the same stuff that's produced in the intestines when resistant starches are fermented [think bean flatulence]). Acetic acid doesn't provide much energy (around 3.5 calories/g), and the energy it does provide is in the form of a short-chain fatty acid which is easily used for energy by bodily tissues since it doesn't require processing to be transported through the bloodstream. Finally, alcohol delays gastric emptying and may even reduce the amount of nutrition that can be absorbed through digestion ('beer shits').

interesting information above... I try to only drink once a week and only on the weekends, but I don't think a glass of wine every day would do any harm. And I try to limit myself to beer and/or whiskey/scotch. I avoid sugary cocktails unless I'm making them myself, because usually most places can't make a good cocktail or just use pre-made mixers which taste disgusting. I do sometimes enjoy a good home made Mojito, cuba libre, daquiri, or margarita. But very seldom do I make these sweet and sour cocktails, my wife loves them though and that's the only way she'll have a drink.

Damn, if only I could memorise all of Why's post, I'd be able to pass myself off as the local pub genius.


I like this. I shall spin this particular sentence to justify drinking 30% more than I used to. Hurrah!

Good thread, I've often wondered about this. The only theory I've come up with is that it's not the calories from the booze itself that cause problems, it's the 2AM drive-thru runs and residual hangover therapies (queso, deep fried foods) that hurt.

Great post. I was thinking myself that chemically alcohol would seem somewhat strange to convert into anything that would cause significant weight gain (ie. sugar or fat) although I'd be lying if I said I know anything about metabolism, not much of a fan of biology. I have heard as well that the beer belly comes more from the wings, chips, burgers, and pizza that are normally consumed while drinking than the alcohol itself. I also drink quite a lot, and I never drink anything "light," but am extremely skinny.

i don't drink much, but why's post was quite interesting.

I heard that acetic acid was mostly responsible for the "beer gut" in that it's presence somehow hurt the body's ability to oxidize fats and use glycogen? This was from a couple years ago.

Assuming that's true, I can see the reason why a study would conclude that and also see why such a conclusion is absolutely wrong.

As far as I know, there is no study that ever shows that. There are many that (often erroneously) conclude the antithesis, though.