Alcohol and Weight Gain

Alcohol can be used as an energy source from the body.  By itself it is high in energy content, it contains 7 calories of energy per gram; this is close to the caloric density of fat, at 9 calories per gram. If you also take into account that many alcoholic drinks also contain added sugars then most alcoholic drinks can add a substantial amount of extra calories to the diet. For this reason many experts recommend limiting consumption of alcohol when trying to lose weight.

The energy from alcohol cannot be stored so it must be oxidised and converted into energy for immediate use by the cells. While our body uses up all the alcohol circulating in the blood, the oxidation of fats, carbohydrates and protein becomes suppressed; because of this more of these macronutrients are forced into storage than under normal conditions without alcohol. Alcohol can make you fat in an indirect manner.