Pharmacology Alcohol and energy metabolism

[Pissed_and_messed]

I figured this is better forum than PED BUT it can be turned in there also if moderator chooses so and I don't whine.

So...
1) alcohol causes release of stored carbs in liver and brain
2) alcohol turns system to metabolize alcohol first and foremost

Does this mean that the released glucoles or whatever was the form that is stored in organs, is going to waste because system is selectively processing alcohol?

I try to avoid mixing alcohol and exercise anyway but sometimes these two overlap because I am not pro athlete serious about what I do.

 

[3DQSAR]

I'm curious - can you provide references for those statements?

I was aware that the body rightly considers ethanol a toxin but how much alcohol are we talking about here?

I ask because a quick search seems to concentrate on the fact that most drinks contain at least some sugars and carbohydrates, but again, I'm uncertain if this is significant source unless one is consuming a LOT of alcohol and specifically alcoholic drinks containing carbohydrates.

I've been put off alcohol a lot over the years but finally meeting someone who has developed the classic symptoms of Korsakoff syndrome (a textbook case) really opened my eyes.

 

[Pissed_and_messed]

actually it seems to be bullshit-alcohol prevents liver from releasing the sugar. Fucking shit drug. :::DD

E: the few articles had just superficial take on it. Now I found some real material:
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It’s thought that drinking alcohol decreases the liver’s ability to make new glucose via gluconeogenesis, which can lead to lower circulating glucose levels. To counter this decrease, alcohol stimulates the breakdown and release of stored glucose. This balance between impaired gluconeogenesis and increased glycogenolysis means acute alcohol intake shouldn’t significantly affect glucose levels for normal, healthy people eating a standard diet.


However, the situation is different for those who’ve been fasting or are in a ketogenic state because these people already have much less glucose stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles. Usually this state prompts the liver to produce new glucose via gluconeogenesis, but, as noted above, alcohol inhibits this process. The result is that glucose levels can fall to dangerously low levels, and in extreme cases, without treatment, this hypoglycemic state can lead to seizures, coma, or death.

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What does alcohol do to my glucose levels? | Levels

Alcohol's effect on your blood sugar has a lot to do with context: how much you're drinking, if you're fasting and the type of alcohol.

www.levels.com

My take on this is that drinking night before exercise in the morning is damn harmful for performance because you have less to release then. But it could be fine in end tail of exercise, when you have not consumed fuel for a while but squeeze the last out of them from your system to get utilized. It could be still argued that taking in some real fuel without alcohol would be better, because as mentioned, gluconeogenesis is decreased and your system can not properly utilize the alcohol and other ingredients in alcoholic beverage as fuel.

This further encourages me to trying to keep drinking and sports separated, of course will still have occasional drunk ride, because riding is my lifestyle, I can not avoid it.

 

[Mjäll]

Depending on level of intake, you may be overthinking this a little. The body seems capable of adjusting glucose metabolism acutely. The long-term effects of alcoholism on metabolism are of course concerning. May increase risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome iirc. Exercise is always better than no exercise in terms of lifestyle.

Separating alcohol from exercise is a good idea. As is trying to minimize alcohol intake overall. There are better options for inebriation, but you probably know as much. Personally i find alcohol fiendish at a psychologically unsustainable level, almost on par with nitrous but far less rewarding.