Does Drinking Alcohol Make You Gain Weight?

Over time, alcohol may make you gain weight if you drink it in excess. Heavy drinking may activate hormones that signal appetite, hunger, and stress. Alcohol is also high in calories but lacks nutrients supporting good health. In contrast, light-to-moderate alcohol consumption does not cause weight gain.

You may have heard "beer belly" and wondered: Does alcohol cause belly fat? The short answer is not entirely. A small portion of the calories from alcohol accumulates as fat near your midsection. 

Instead, your liver prioritizes breaking down alcohol rather than fat. As a result, you are not burning fat while drinking.

Weight is certainly not the only factor when it comes to health. Still, there are a few things you may want to know about alcohol intake and body composition if you think drinking may affect your weight.

How Much Alcohol Makes You Gain Weight?

Research has found that light-to-moderate alcohol intake does not cause weight gain. Instead, regular heavy drinking may lead to weight gain over time.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) defines heavy drinking as more than three drinks per day or seven drinks per week for females. For males, the NIAAA says that heavy drinking is more than four drinks per day or 14 drinks per week.

How Alcohol Can Affect Weight and Body Composition

In excess, alcohol consumption may cause adverse effects on your body, leading to weight gain. For example, alcohol may affect hormones that control appetite, hunger, and stress. Alcohol is high in calories and is likely to increase abdominal fat. 

Affects Your Hormones

Drinking alcohol can impair the functions of your glands that release hormones, which may cause weight gain.

Generally, glands in your body release the right amount of hormones at an exact time, which send messages to your tissues. Those messages aid in your body’s stress response and help control your energy and metabolism.

For example, your adrenal glands, found on top of your kidneys, secrete cortisol, a stress hormone. Usually, cortisol helps your body respond to stress by increasing blood pressure and heart rate.

Some evidence suggests that heavy drinking may cause your adrenal glands not to regulate how much cortisol they secrete. As a result, people who drink heavily may have high cortisol levels.

Research has found that elevated cortisol levels may increase abdominal weight gain. Cortisol redistributes fat tissue to your abdominal region and increases cravings for high-calorie foods.

Can Make You Feel Hungry

After a few drinks, you may be more likely to make unhealthy food choices without thinking about it.

Most studies on alcohol's effects on appetite have been conducted in animals. More human research is needed to understand how alcohol affects hunger. One animal study published in 2017 found that alcohol activates cells in your brain that signal intense hunger.

Alcohol can reduce your blood sugar level, which may increase hunger. Some evidence suggests that people may seek high-carb foods to satisfy their cravings if their blood sugar dips slightly.

As a result, people with diabetes may need to practice caution with alcohol. Drinking alcohol with diabetes medicine, especially on an empty stomach, may cause low blood sugar.

Increases Abdominal Fat

You may have heard of the term "beer belly." Still, the belief that alcohol causes increased fat stores around the abdominal area is inaccurate. A small percentage of the calories you drink from alcohol turns into fat.

Instead, alcohol impacts the way your body burns fat. Your liver breaks down alcohol rather than fat while you are drinking. As a result, fat may accumulate in the abdominal region.

Abdominal fat links to several health complications, such as:

• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Type 2 diabetes

Males are more likely to gain abdominal fat from drinking than females. Generally, males store more fat in their bellies. Females may gain weight in their abdominal region after menopause when estrogen levels naturally decline.

Is High in Empty Calories

The calories in alcohol are "empty," meaning they contain little to no beneficial nutrients or minerals. Alcoholic beverages are often high in empty calories, with about seven per gram. In contrast, carbs and protein have four calories per gram.

Cocktails and mixed drinks often have more calories than beer and wine. Liqueur, juice, and syrup add extra calories. For example, a piña colada has as many as 500 calories per seven-ounce serving.

You need carbs and proteins rich in nutrients to support good health. Empty calories do not help build muscle, repair tissues, or support strong bones like nutrient-dense foods do.

People who consume excess food and drinks that are high in empty calories have a higher risk of having overweight and obesity than others.

Makes It Harder To Get Quality Sleep

Alcohol has sedative effects that may help you relax and make you sleepy after a drink. Still, research has linked excess alcohol use to poor sleep duration and quality. People with alcohol use disorder (AUD) have a higher insomnia risk than others.

Over time, sleep deprivation may cause weight gain. Some evidence suggests that sleep-deprived people eat more food and find it harder to resist tempting snacks than usual.

Will I Lose Weight if I Stop Drinking?

There's a lack of evidence linking reduced alcohol consumption to weight loss. A study published in 2016 found that decreasing light-to-moderate alcohol consumption did not significantly affect weight loss. Still, the researchers noted that reducing alcohol intake led to less impulsivity, like overeating.

Some evidence suggests that eliminating alcohol among people who drink heavily helps control weight. In a study published in 2018, people who stopped drinking lost 1.6% more weight than those who did not change their alcohol intake. Still, the researchers noted that more research is needed to understand how eliminating or limiting alcohol intake affects weight loss.

Generally, you must consume fewer calories than you use to lose weight. You do not have to give up alcohol entirely to create a calorie deficit. Instead, changing your drinking habits can help you manage your weight.

Here are some ways you can drink mindfully to help support weight loss:

• Drink modestly: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans advises limiting your alcohol consumption to no more than one or two drinks per day.
• Eat before you drink: This may reduce the risk of overeating and help your stomach absorb alcohol slowly. 
• Limit mixed drinks: Liqueur, juice, and syrup are high in calories. Opt for a seltzer or splash of juice if you want a mixed drink. 
• Opt for low-calorie drinks: Alcohol has empty calories that may replace healthy, nutritious foods by using up part of your daily calories. Choose low-calorie drinks if you want to consume alcohol while reducing your daily calories. For example, light beer has about 100 calories per 12 ounces, compared to 150 calories in 12 ounces of regular beer.
• Set limits: This helps reduce the risk of drinking too much.
• Sip slowly: Drinking too quickly may raise the risk of drinking too much. Opt for water after you finish an alcoholic beverage. 

A Quick Review

Alcohol may have various effects on your health that link to weight gain. Alcohol is high in empty calories and may affect hormones that signal appetite, hunger, and stress. 

You do not have to forego alcohol entirely to control your weight. Instead, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans advise that you drink in moderation. That's at most one drink per day for females and two for males.

Opt for low-calorie options like light beer, and skip mixed drinks with a lot of liqueur, juice, and syrup. Ensure you eat a hearty meal before going out, and keep healthy snacks on hand if you get hungry.