by Ruggiero Corcella
Drinking alcohol before practicing physical activity is generally harmful and is not recommended, especially in competitions. Things to know if you really can’t do without it
The latest in the series is Venezia striker Joel Pohjanpalo who, after scoring four goals in the recently concluded Serie B championship, has a beer on the pitch with the fans. From George Best – icon of the 60s – down football has a decent list of athletes with high alcohol content. And, among sports, not just football. If, however, at a professional level, drinking alcohol before and after a competition sounds like real suicide, those who practice sport several steps below may perhaps think that, all in all, a glass doesn’t hurt. Instead, it’s not like that. And in these days of exaggerated heat, the risks multiply exponentially.
The (many) harmful effects of alcohol
What happens when we drink alcohol? What are the effects on the body when you play sports? Let’s say right away that drinking alcohol before practicing physical activity is bad for you and is not recommended especially for sportsmen – said Gianfranco Beltrami, a specialist in sports medicine and cardiology, vice president of the Italian sports medicine federation -. There is a lot of scientific evidence that alcohol above all promotes acidosis and therefore the production of ketone bodies, lowers the pH of the blood and this causes fatigue as the first symptom. Then, if one drinks a lot, alcohol can also cause other symptoms such as nausea and other gastric symptoms. As far as sportsmen are concerned, alcohol decreases both the efficiency of iron transport which is essential for the production of ATP, adenosine triphosphate, the molecule which then makes the muscles contract.
Reduced muscle strength and difficult recovery
Furthermore, alcohol decreases the absorption of vitamins and therefore especially vitamin B 12 and folic acid, the absence of which causes anemia. Furthermore alcohol is toxic for the mitochondria, the organelles which produce energy in the form of ATP molecules and which also synthesize hemoglobin. Thus in the absence of hemoglobin, oxygen transport is reduced. This is why alcoholics are all anemic. Alcohol then lowers testosterone, which is the main hormone for protein synthesis, and we also have less muscle strength. In the athlete, this jeopardizes recovery, because we know that every physical effort involves the destruction of muscle proteins, Beltrami underlines.
If we add the fact that alcohol leads to alterations in the nervous system, worsening the coordination of movements, which is extremely dangerous for certain sports. Let’s think, for example, of motor sports but also of those in which coordination is important, from volleyball to basketball and football, sports in which coordination is very important.
Competitive and amateur sport
Can differences be made between those who practice sports at a competitive level and those who are amateurs? Competitive sportsmen should never drink. The every-time glass should really be the exception. On the other hand, the amateur sportsman for whom these voluptuous habits should be allowed – after all, a nice glass of wine is not denied to anyone – in these cases we can say that it takes at least two or three hours to burn off the alcohol. So you shouldn’t drink at least three hours in advance and in any case when you drink it is always better to drink a glass of wine together with a balanced meal, which digests well. As for the beer afterwards, if it is a limited quantity many times we know very well that even certain competitive sportsmen drink a beer even to promote diuresis and anti-doping which is not prohibited. So, in short, there are no particular problems.
Risk of dehydration
Why can you become dehydrated if you drink alcohol? Alcohol has a diuretic effect, ie you urinate more and therefore you lose fluids and this favors dehydration, in addition to the vasodilative effect. Better then to drink some water too? Dilution definitely helps. To dispose of it better, it is always good to drink lots of water. So hydrate well, together with a balanced and easily digestible meal that is certainly useful. It’s much worse to drink alcohol on an empty stomach or away from meals, replies the expert.
The time factor
Is it true that it takes 25 hours to completely rid the body of the effects of alcohol? however, it is always correct to abstain from alcohol for a couple of days before an important competition. Then it also depends a lot on the amount of what you drink as well as on the weight of the subject. For example, the male disposes of it better and a big man weighing 80 kg who owes a small beer has no major problems. On the other hand, perhaps a 50-kilo woman will find it more difficult to dispose of it. To actually dispose of it would take at least 48 hours.
Banned sugars
Avoid sugary cocktails? Yes – says Beltrami -. We know that simple sugars cause in the person, and even more so in the athlete, a release of insulin which is a hormone that causes a drop in blood sugar and therefore tiredness. So you should never take simple sugars, even regardless of alcohol, before a competition or training. Never eat a biscuit or a brioche, because they have the proper effect of stimulating the production of insulin and giving secondary hypoglycemia and this causes tiredness, also alterations in coordination and lowering of blood pressure.
The right diet
Don’t forget to eat: what? In the athlete it is always good never to eat only carbohydrates, but instead focus on a balanced meal that has a percentage of at least 50-55% carbohydrates, 20-25% proteins and 15-20% fats. This is the Mediterranean diet. Then there are other variants: for example the zone diet which includes only 40% carbohydrates, 30% fat and 30% protein. In general, the athlete who plays an endurance sport, such as running and cycling, should eat a little more carbohydrates. On the other hand, those who do power sports, such as weight lifting or sports in which the muscle masses have to work a lot, then it is better to eat a little more protein. Forever and in any case within a balanced diet: never eat only pasta and vegetables.
July 11, 2023 (change July 11, 2023 | 06:36)
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