A Drinking Club With A Running Problem

At the most recent Pacesetter's Board meeting, several ideas of how to get more runners to come out for our fun runs were discussed. Someone suggested we offer alcohol after each run. This was a well-accepted idea by the whole board. There was also talk about how a recent run of ours that ended at a local bar was a big hit that was attended by more runners than usual. It got me to thinking...how many runners out there drink on a regular basis? Would booze be enough of an incentive to get many of them out there to run? I rarely drink since giving up regular alcohol consumption was what helped me lose 50 pounds two years ago, so I am definitely an anomaly when it comes to being a "true" Wisconsin runner. I thought it'd be fair for me to find out that, if alcohol was offered at Pacesetters gatherings, whether or not it'd be helpful or hindering to our running performance. After all, our goal is to promote a healthy lifestyle.

We all know that too much drinking can be too much of a good thing, both for the individual as well as society as a whole. Every person that drinks heavily "has an increased risk for heart disease, high blood pressure and some types of stroke, increased risk of some cancers, neurological damage, liver disease, pancreatitis, peptic ulcer and gastritis, heartburn, nutritional deficiencies, menstrual problems, anxiety, headaches, sleep disturbance and insomnia," states the Calorieking.com article, "The Calorie King Alcohol Guide". "Heavy drinking is also associated with relationship problems, legal complications, work absenteeism and violence." According to a University of California Berkley article printed on Active.com, "[alcohol] is associated with some 100,000 deaths a year from disease and injury--more than the number of deaths from heart disease (estimated at perhaps 80,000) that it may prevent. These occur mostly among the young."

Even though heavy drinking can be harmful not only to ourselves but also to others, moderate drinking has been studied in many ways and has been proven to result in health benefits. Calorie King's Alcohol Guide article also states that "among the benefits of drinking in moderation are a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and diabetes, as well as an improvement in memory function. Moderate consumption of alcohol is also thought to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and senile dementia, improve resistance to the common cold virus, and significantly reduce the risk of Peripheral Artery Disease." In fact, a recent, widely publicized study in the New England Journal of Medicine stated that "drinking is good for your heart, and the more you drink, the better." This study was funded by the National Institute of Health and it tracked the drinking habits of 38,000 men over 12 years. "Men who drank at least three or four days a week had fewer heart attacks than those who drank less. It didn't matter what they drank--beer, wine or spirits--or whether they drank it with meals." The studies also showed that drinking each day was better than drinking on occasion, and several drinks were better than just one.

This study goes against what we've always heard in the news headlines - that moderate drinking can lead to certain health benefits. One of the most recent studies shows that both "exercise AND modest alcohol consumption BOTH contribute to [a] longer life," according to the European Heart Journal. This "Danish study found that both [drinking moderately and regular exercise] contribute to decreased heart disease and decreased all-cause deaths. The researchers followed nearly 12,000 Danish adults for 20 years, and reached a number of interesting conclusions. For example, among exercisers, those who consumed no alcohol, or fairly high levels of alcohol, had higher death rates than those who consumed modest amounts, about one glass of wine or spirits a day for women, and two for men. Also, within groups formed by degree of alcohol consumption, those who did the least exercise had the highest death rates, while increasing levels of exercise were associated with lower death rates."  The conclusion we can gain from this is that "leisure-time physical activity and a moderate weekly alcohol intake are both important to lower the risk of fatal IHD [heart disease] and all-cause mortality."

It's obvious that the benefits of moderate drinking far outweigh the potential benefits of drinking more than moderately. But what exactly is moderate? Calorie King does a great job defining what it means to drink moderately, or as they say, in a "low risk" way:

Men: Two standard drinks (40g alcohol) per day

Women: One drink (20g alcohol) per day

One standard drink contains 14 grams of alcohol and is equivalent to:

            12 fl. oz regular beer

            5 fl. oz wine

            1.5 fl. oz spirits (80 proof)

And sorry athletes! Saving all your daily drinks for one weekly occasion doesn’t count! In fact, it could be classified as “heavy drinking” and cause health problems. It is also usually recommended that you have two alcohol-free days a week.

Keep in mind that it can only take one drink to go from moderate, low-risk drinking to harmful drinking. Moderate drinking can also vary for each individual, depending on factors such as age and weight.

Alcohol           Health Risks & Number of Standard Drinks Per Day                                                   

Scale Of Risk Low                 Hazardous       Harmful              

Female             1 drink             4 drinks           More than 4        

Male                2 drinks           6 drinks           More than 6      

Binge drinking is defined as having six drinks in a row for men or four in a row for females.

It's wonderfully convenient for all Wisconsinites to know that one of their favorite things to do on the weekend (along with rooting for any Wisconsin team), drinking, is OK according to all of this new research, as long as their drinking is moderate. What about from the athlete's perspective, however? Does alcohol help or hinder our performance?

One of the ways it hampers our athletic ability is that it adds on the calories (and therefore pounds) along with all the other decadent goodies abundant at holiday time. This time is especially difficult to keep off the pounds since along with the treats, training is also not as easy to do in the cold, snowy weather. According to the Active.com article "Would You Like Some Gout With That Martini?" "Drinking too much alcohol can contribute to obesity in several ways. There are seven calories per gram of alcohol, which makes it fairly calorie dense, and it is also thought to lessen the body’s ability to burn fat. Indeed, if you drink too much, fat storage may be promoted, particularly in the belly, which is a health danger zone." Along with being calorie-dense itself, the consumption of alcohol "can stimulate appetite and if drinking is associated with eating high-fat foods, particularly in social situations, there is also a greater chance of consuming more calories. As well as being calorie dense, the calories in alcohol are considered 'empty' in that they provide no nutritional value."

Another concern for many athletes when it comes to good performance is hydration. Does alcohol contribute to dehydration or not? "Initially, alcohol can dehydrate you, but over the course of 24 hours, alcohol no longer has a dehydrating effect," says Nancy Clark, R.D., author of Nancy Clark's Sports Nutrition Guidebook. "Still, alcohol can produce up to a three-percent loss of body weight (in fluids) within four hours of consumption, which can have a negative impact on performance and even be dangerous when heat is a factor. Consequently, drinking alcohol in the hours just before a hard run or race is not a good idea. But as long as runners who are accustomed to drinking wine are drinking extra water and taking in other carbohydrates," says Clark, "one glass of wine with dinner the night before a race doesn't concern me." This is shown to be true by the fastest woman in the United States, top female marathoner Deena Kastor, who enjoys a glass of red wine with her pasta with pesto, with which she toasts her friends and family the night before a race. As long as alcohol is a regular part of an athlete's routine, it shouldn't impact their performance negatively.

Some runners have said that they have a reason to enjoy a beer or two leading up to a race because it counts as carbo loading. Sadly, this is not a true statement. "The idea that beer provides a significant amount of carbs is a misconception," advises Clark.  "A 12-ounce bottle contains 12 grams of carbohydrates, which is equivalent to about half a slice of bread." In addition, because of the way alcohol is metabolized, the majority of these particular carbs are stored as fat. "So you're actually fat-loading," says Clark. "And if you're drinking a lot, you may be running to burn off beer calories rather than combusting body fat."

Since alcohol consumption is a common practice by many of my Pacesetters compadres (you know who you are!), I've found some guidelines from the Runner's World article "What Are You Drinking?" by Kristen Wolfe Bieler that'll help us all to take advantage of the benefits of alcohol as well as protecting our running abilities:

Wait 8--or Even 48

“Everyone metabolizes alcohol differently, so you must take into account the way your own body handles alcohol. Some nutritionists advise skipping it for up to 48 hours before a long race, such as a half-marathon or a marathon, to ensure enough time for proper rehydration. Others say one glass of wine with dinner the night before a race shouldn't cause problems as long as you're also taking in plenty of water and carbs."

Eat First

“Before lifting a glass at a postrace party, have a snack high in carbs and with a little protein (a bagel with peanut butter or a turkey sandwich on whole-wheat bread) and rehydrate with 16 to 24 ounces of water or sports drink for every pound of body weight you lost while you were running."

Just Add Water

“To combat alcohol's diuretic effect, drink an eight-ounce glass of water for every alcoholic beverage you drink."

Remember to Sleep

“A glass of cabernet with dinner may be okay; partying all night at the bar is not. Getting too little sleep before a big training day or race affects balance, sharpness, coordination, and endurance--similar to too much alcohol."

Count Calories

“On average, a five-ounce glass of wine has about 100 calories (the same size glass of sweet dessert wine has about 230 calories). A 12-ounce can of beer contains around 140 calories. And a one-ounce serving of spirits like rum, vodka, gin, or bourbon has about 65 to 80 calories--but mix it with juice instead of club soda and that number will rise considerably. A large piña colada can have upward of 300 calories and lots of fat."

On this upcoming New Year's Eve, toast to a good 2008 and to the upcoming excitement of 2009 with your favorite "adult" beverage. Just make sure that if you're running a New Year's Day 5K, eat before you go out, drink lots of water along with your alcohol, and get to bed soon after the big ball drops.

More updates will be announced if the Pacesetters Board chooses to have more fun runs that include alcohol. In the meantime, why not make your own yummy alcoholic concoction at home by adding to your favorite peanut butter shake a shot of spiced rum? Hey, sounds good to me! Would there be anything better to drink to ring in the New Year other than liquid spiked peanut butter? I think not!

This article is meant to give education on the nutritional content of certain foods. It was not written by a licensed nutrition professional. Please consult your doctor if there are changes you'd like to make to your diet.