How much is healthy for an athlete? I know alchohol has many negative attributes but it also has positive effects. Alchohol can act as a blood thinner and relieve stress. The arteries of alchoholics are clean. I drink on average 3 or 4 drinks a week(I’m 21) and I don’t notice any negative effects or get sick. Am I doing more damage then good?
firstly alcohol is not healthy.how can it have positive effects on anything??
as for relieving stress…don’t think so.
the arteries of alcoholics are polluted with alcohol and the damage on the liver is irrreversible.taken in moderation and don’t abuse it is the key…if you can’t respect the stuff then stay waway from it
my advice to you is to read a book by an english guy called jason vale titled slim for life.this book will open your eyes
Alchohol is not completly evil! Alchohol has beneficial effects on the heart. Of course if your an alcoholic the negative effects of alchohol will definently far outweigh the postitives. My question is if in moderate alcohol use the positive effects of alchohol outweigh the negatives for athletes.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/10/051013223047.htm
“Population studies have shown that moderate drinkers tend to have lower rates of heart disease but higher rates of bleeding-type strokes”
heart disease or stroke,which one would you like?! to me they are both very serious. what positive effect does alsohol have…i hear guinness(made in my homeland) is great for iron…so what many healthy foods have high levels of iron but nothing said.i have the odd drink but i know that it ain’t good for me…people think that alsohol makes them relax…it dosen’t
I’m not a drinker, so I cain’t really say too much about this, but I don’t think an occasional shot will hurt anything. For me, every once in a while I’ll take a shot of my uncle’s Dawson county moonshine–flavored with a tint of peach. Just a little shot will take care of many ailments and it really works when you’re congested, need to have your system cleaned out, feeling the effects of allergies, or just need a little wake up call. Just be careful not to drink too much of this stuff or it will mess you up.
I have a PDF file…too bad only pictures can be loaded.
My beliefs are that those in school or those that work besides train shouldn’t drink period. not even a few drinks.
Most people drink in the evening and that results in destroying the days training. Even on the off day it destroys the days rest. I have a pdf file that is pretty good. Remember the big boys wake up when they want and have all the time in the world. Also many are on programs that involve other things and they have genes we don’t. Burgerking can work for Jeremy since he doesn’t live off of BK in training and the olympics is too late to land a burning plane after months of crap nutrition.
Alcohol does have more positive effects than negative. Statistically those who drink moderate amounts have fewer heart attacks and strokes, live longer, have lower blood pressure, and generally report better overall health. Its the ethanol that is beneficial so wine/beer/cider whatever.
However…
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[li] Most importantly the optimal intake of alcohol depend on age/sex/weight. Interestingly most of the research into the benefits are relevant to the middle aged, and the optimal intake for those under 40-45 may be very close to or actually be zero
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[li] Even then the drinking pattern seems to be an issue, ie having half a glass of wine with a meal a few times a week is more beneficial than having a few of glasses at 2am in the morning on a night out once per week.
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[li] Aside from ethanol having some health properties certain types of alcoholic beverage may have additional positive/negative health effects due to the other ingredients.
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[li] Also over consumption of alcohol (which is easy to do) is far more detrimental than non-consumption. Upregulating aromatase/reducing Testosterone levels is well documented for instance.
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[li] Lastly it is obvious that alot of the rest of the stuff in the alcoholic drinks isnt really good nutrition needs to be factored in to calorie intake/macronutrient ratios.
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Alot of athletes/trainees are looking for an excuse to be able to go out and have a few beers on the weekend partying with their mates - that is what it is.
In short a small glass of wine or small beer with a meal in the afternoon or early evening as a cheat food infrequently for 16-40 year olds.
There may be some “healthy” aspects to alcohol, but I can’t agree with it being called healthy as a whole. The bottom line is the liver quickly tries to metabolize it because the body sees it as POISON. All these studies are looking for a benefit of alcohol so they can’t be trusted - its biased research. The studies are just like the ones looking for antioxidants in coffee, or finding the types of cancer that have lower rates in smokers. People want to justify their vices. Any health benefit to alcohol can be found from healthier sources, i.e. ethanol can be obtained from fruit.
This reminds me of a Daily Show episode where John Stewart talks about a news piece where “Scientists search for a way to encapsulate the benefits of wine into a pill”. He continues “Its already been done. Its CALLED A GRAPE!”
With all that said, I can still occasionally forget about the harm I do to my body in order to indulge in an occasional beer or 12, but that doesn’t mean I think its healthy.
Great post Munkieball.
Paul Chek put it best, ‘any good that come from alcoholic drink, comes from it’s source material, ie the grapes, and hops.’
Asking how much alcohol you can drink without it effecting you is like asking how often you can have a bic mac!
So the answer to the original question is, of course it’s doing more harm than good.
That being said, i hope everyone has a great St. Patrick’s Day! 
alcohol if taken in a once in a while form, is not going to slow you down in any shape or form. Just take it on a rest day, and don’t drink a lot.
I’m 17 and I don’t drink, I havn’t done massive research in2 the topic like u guys but it is my belief that any serious athlete, particularly those being paid big bucks in pro sports should not drink ANY alcohol AT ALL, especially during the in/comp season. It prevents recovery from training sessions and injuries particularly is what i’v heard. I feel the world drinks 2 much alcohol, i know kids at my school who get absolutely pissed 2-3 times a week and 5-6 times a week in the hols and i also know of/and have heard of a lot more 10 year old kids that drink alcohol and some drink it lots and lots.
But back to my previous point, if your getting paid massive $'s to play sport at a pro level, then anything that disrupts your performance in competition or training should b ruled out - therefore no drugs or alcohol. Rugby players are pathetic, they rip a calf or whatsnot and that night they are away getting drunk. Pathetic. I remember seeing a picture taken of brian O-driscoll (Irish rugby captain) taken at 4.30 am in a nightclub on the eve of a test absoultely pissed. He then would have had ~35 hours til a hyped test match.
As far as i’m aware if u want 2 get the most out of your human potential, then your gonna have 2 b dedicated 2 not intake alcohol, particularly closing in on your time of truth.
All these athletes I hear measure every gram of grains they intake and buy thousands of $'s of supps and go all hard out then get drunk at least 1 a week and drink in moderation other times and may as well have not bothered 2 go 2 all the hard work in the 1st place.
It all depends on how committed u really r, is getting trashed over and over again worth never reaching your potential?
With the ultimate healthy diet alchohol may not contribute health benefits other than stress relief.
Otherwise the health benefits are attributed to the antioxidants and the anti-clotting (thinning) effects of alcohol itself although when the blood is at its most viscous, ie. in the morning, these effects from the alcohol have worn off, unless your a morning boozer.
Would a good recommendation be to eat the best diet possible and if feeling stressed just stick to 1 glass of red wine?
Check Havard journal of Mens health. Available in paperback. (One of my textbooks in college). It does have some positive effects but only in very, very, very, small miniscule amounts. You would have to take your measuring cup out for it.
These good effects are for LDL (bad) HDL (good) ratio, reducing plaques ect. Once you stop using these small amounts you can forget about any positive effects. All the once positive effects are now the opposite, they turn negative big time.
Anyways Mortality rate is through the roof. As we all know the more you drink the lower your life expectancy. Check out the mortality graph; its cool how it goes straight up after just a few drinks a week.
Anyways forget all that; heres the guy from bostons take:
Your really drinking yeast piss!!!
Ever wonder why alcohol tastes like, looks like, and smells like piss. Alcohol is really yeast excretion.
B’s baby. B’s.
P.S. I do not advocate using parentheses. Except when citing sources in text. (Hehateme 2007)