By Dave

 

A cold pint after a long run or group ride.  Or maybe a glass of shiraz after a sweaty bootcamp class.  Exercise and alcohol, they go together like spaghetti and meatballs, or as Rob Schneider’s character in Big Daddy prefers, like Lamb and Tuna fish. 

 

For some it may seem counterintuitive, why put the effort in if you’re going to ruin it after.  

 

And for others, it’s the reward for the effort.  The permission you’ve granted yourself to play hard after working hard.

 

If you’re in the latter group, you’re not alone.  Recent research has shown that fitter people drink more, but are also less likely to be problem drinkers.  

 

From 1988-2019 researchers out of Dallas collected information from 38,653 healthy patients as part of the Cooper Centre Longitudinal study.  These were people 20-86 undergoing preventative medical exams with a wide range of testing performed.  Cardiorespiratory fitness was tested via the maximum treadmill test and VO2 max was obtained.  Cardio data was compared in this study to alcohol consumption and self reported alcohol dependence.  Groups were divided into high, moderate and low fitness and heavy, moderate and low alcohol consumption.

 

For both men and women the correlation was clear, moderate and high fitness levels had higher odds of heavier alcohol consumption.  High fitness levels in women led to a 2.14 greater odds of heavy alcohol consumption, and high fitness levels in men had a 1.63 greater odds of heavy alcohol consumption compared to low fitness groups.  These are pretty strong correlations.  

 

In men (but not women) higher fitness also demonstrated a trend towards lower self reported alcohol dependence.  

 

Of course correlation doesn’t equal causation.  However the authors cautiously propose that exercise may indeed cause the increase in drinking due to the psychological phenomenon called the licensing effect.  By doing something positive for your health, you allow yourself the freedom to make a poorer health decision.  

 

I employ this cognitive strategy frequently while mindlessly consuming a bag of chips (my kryptonite) late in the day, knowing full well I busted my tail earlier in the day.

 

Why do fitter people tend to drink more?  Is it the social nature of exercise and sport that brings people together and gives them some sort of social capital to bring to the pub?  Or is it the double edged sword of an athlete’s pleasure seeking personality characteristics.  A good lift may get you that dopamine hit.  And a glass of red may also give you that same central nervous system reward.

 

This pleasure seeking theory is employed in many addiction and substance abuse programs.  By trying to reduce the need to seek pleasure from a given issue (drugs, alcohol, gambling etc), exercise is often recommended as an option to try and fill that void.  Again, this highlights a relationship between alcohol and exercise, but not a physiological rationale for why people who are fit consume more alcohol.

 

So we don’t have a clear cause and effect explanation here, but understanding and acknowledging the correlation is important.  It’s also important for those training seriously for a goal or event, for something other than the beer mile alcohol is likely not helping you.  A 2014 study found muscle protein synthesis (the anabolic response for muscle building) is inhibited by  post workout alcohol consumption.  The response isn’t blocked completely, but it is blunted.  All that work, for only a portion of the benefit.  For those in the middle of a more cardiovascular focused training plan, there is poor sleep quality and increased heart rate variability considerations for moderate to heavy alcohol consumption the following day.  Anyone who has worn the WHOOP band can attest to this.

 

None of this is earth shattering.  And it is not meant to dissuade you from enjoying your post exercise or post game social with the group.  As the classic finance book the wealthy barber says about spending your money, make sure the purchase adds high value to your life.  Ask yourself if there is significant personal enjoyment or experiential value added by your post exercise booze decision.  If so, carry on, and continue to train hard!