THIS IS YOUR RUNNER’S BODY ON A BEER MILE

Pan Am bronze medallist in the marathon Rachel Hannah, who is also a registered dietitian at Medcan, educated us on the impacts of beer to a runner’s body.

Absorption Starts with First Sip

Absorption starts as soon as you ingest alcohol from your tongue to your esophagus but the majority of the alcohol lands in the small intestine, where it then travels all over your body.

From Small Intestine to Liver

The alcohol not absorbed by the small intestine is delivered to the liver, which can process 0.5 ounces of pure alcohol per half hour, which is about six to 12 ounces of beer. The byproducts of alcohol are converted to fatty acids stored in the liver then transferred to the bloodstream. The more alcohol you drink the more you raise the levels of lipids in your blood. A high level of triglycerides is one indicator of cardiovascular disease.

Alcohol is metabolized in the body as fat. The by-products of alcohol metabolism are converted to fatty acids, which are stored in the liver and sent to the bloodstream. The more alcohol you drink, the more you raise the level of lipids in your blood, which is a risk factor for heart disease.

A significant factor for runners who drink alcohol moderately or regularly is the caloric content of alcohol: 12 oz. of beer contains about 150 calories.

Carbonation, Burping and Digestion

Many beer milers speak about the foam and air in their stomach from gulping back highly carbonated beers. The carbon dioxide expands in the stomach and has to escape eventually putting the runner through some discomfort. Meanwhile the body is trying to absorb and metabolize while the runner’s blood is being drawn to the muscles and not necessarily the digestive tract at equal measure.

Too Much of a Good Thing

Alcohol’s association with mortality exists on a J-shaped curve, meaning that mortality increases along the consumption of three or more drinks per day. Too much alcohol consumed regularly can increase your risk of heart disease. It can also increase risk of stroke, liver damage, and cancers of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, liver, breast and colon.

Heart, Lungs, Skin and Brain

From your liver, the alcohol travels through your bloodstream to your heart. Since alcohol is a depressant, not a stimulant, it causes the heart muscle to reduce the strength of its contractions. This results in the heart pumping slightly less blood, lower blood pressure because of relaxed blood vessels. Your lungs are next on alcohol’s blood journey… followed by your skin. This is why you have beer breath and the beer sweats. Twenty or so minutes after first ingestion, runners may start to feel effects such as lightheadedness, impaired judgement or blurred vision as the body processes all the collected alcohol in the system. Runners report feeling tipsy or inebriated around 20 minutes after their first drink.