Does alcohol prevent muscle loss? Don’t raise a drink to that
By Sarah Berry
It’s paradoxical that people who exercise more also tend to drink more. Alcohol doesn’t help our workouts or recovery as it reduces hydration, nutrient absorption and therefore energy availability, but it may affect our muscles.
A large new meta-analysis looking at the association between loss of muscle mass and alcohol found that drinking could lower the risk of sarcopenia by as much as 57 per cent. Before you raise your glass, there are several catches.
Could a bit of alcohol have a protective effect on our muscles? There may be another reason for the association.Credit: Getty Images
From our thirties onwards, we start to lose muscle mass slowly. The accelerated loss of muscle mass, strength, and function is referred to as sarcopenia – derived from the Greek words for “poverty” and “flesh” – and is a critical factor in the decline of a person’s health, independence, risk of falls and fractures, as well as their likelihood of dying prematurely.
Much of our risk of developing sarcopenia is related to lifestyle factors, such as sitting too much, not being physically active enough, lacking good nutrition or drinking too much.
In fact, chronic alcohol use degrades skeletal muscle mass and function because it impairs protein synthesis and mitochondrial function. Heavy drinking also depletes levels of testosterone, one of the key hormones for maintaining muscle mass.
But the effect of moderate levels of drinking is debated. Some studies suggest it has no effect, while others have suggested that moderate consumption might have a protective effect against sarcopenia.
To try to answer the question once and for all, researchers looked at the association between drinking and muscle loss across 62 studies with a total of 454,643 participants.
Overall, they found that alcohol consumption was not a risk factor for the development of sarcopenia, but there was nuance when they delved into the findings.
Specifically, they found that moderate drinking was associated with a 57 per cent lower risk of sarcopenia, but only among men and only when they consumed about 6 grams of alcohol a day – the equivalent of about half a beer or glass of wine. However, any more than two standard drinks a day was associated with increased risk of sarcopenia compared to non-drinkers.
So why might a minimal amount of alcohol have this effect, and why not in women? Well, there are several possible reasons.
Strength training is more effective in the afternoon than the morning.Credit: iStock
“Moderate alcohol consumption may have anti-inflammatory effects, and inflammation is known to contribute to sarcopenia,” says Associate Professor David Scott of Deakin University’s Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition.
“Red wine in particular contains antioxidants which might prevent the oxidative stress that can cause muscle damage. Alcohol is also a vasodilator, which means it may enhance blood flow to the muscles, and it also influences hormones like testosterone that play a role in muscle growth.”
It is perhaps more likely that it is lifestyle-related: previous studies have found that moderate drinkers often have higher intakes of vitamin D and high-protein foods.
“Men drinking half a standard drink per day may be more socially engaged and physically active,” says Rob Newton, a professor of Exercise Medicine and Deputy Director of Edith Cowan University’s Exercise Medicine Research Institute.
Additionally, non-drinkers may include people who formerly drank to excess as well as those with health issues.
The authors suggested that the findings may differ for women because alcohol consumption can decrease the level of oestrogen, which supports the maintenance of muscle mass.
“My overall takeaway is that healthy, moderate consumption of alcohol is unlikely to cause muscle mass and function declines as we age,” says Scott.
The best way to prevent sarcopenia is through regular physical exercise that includes resistance training, says Newton.
“Adequate nutrition is important (sufficient protein and energy intake) but the main driver is stimulus to the skeletal muscles by activating them to develop moderate to high levels of force,” he explains. “Eccentric actions (e.g. lowering down into the squat) are vitally important and stimulate muscle growth even further.”
And though alcohol, in very small doses, may not cause harm, Newton remains sceptical that it has any protective effect: “Definitely people should not drink alcohol in the belief that this will reduce risk of sarcopenia at any age.”
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