Nutrition-in-the-News: Does Beer Influence Body Composition?

By Katina Sayers

Most runners will collectively agree – they love beer. Look around any post-run or post-race gathering, and there are plenty of runners enjoying a beer. Most have a keen awareness of keeping body weight and composition in the healthy range, but how does regular beer drinking influence body composition?

Does regular beer drinking influence body composition?

A recently published study out of Spain may provide some answers to this question. Participants who took part in HIIT classes (high intensity interval training) 2-days per week for 10 weeks were allowed to drink beer in moderation. For men this was equivalent to 11 ounces at lunch and dinner, and for women, this was 11 ounces at dinner. Participants in the non-training group also drank the same amount of beer or choose not to drink beer at all.

Results

Researchers measured participants‘  body composition using several metrics and concluded that none of the groups experienced negative changes in body composition over the 10 week period. Eating patterns were not studied. However, participants in the HIIT group lost body fat and gained lean muscle mass, which lead researchers to conclude that drinking beer in moderation did not influence body composition while enrolled in an HIIT class.

Conclusion

According to researchers, drinking alcohol can be a part of a healthy diet and lifestyle, and will not destroy goals related to physical fitness. If you enjoy adult libations, I suggest following the American Heart Association’s (AHA) recommendation of no more than 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women. Additionally, I suggest that when given a choice to eat or drink your calories, you should always choose whole foods over beverages for greater satiation. 

Katina Sayers is the owner/operator of Katina’s Nutritional Coaching Corner.   She has an extensive background in health and education that began with degrees in exercise physiology, health and physical education, community health, and culminating with a doctoral degree in curriculum and instruction.  She completed an advanced certificate of study in Integrative Nutrition and Health Coaching from the renowned Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN) in New York City. For the last four years, she has worked one-on-one with clients, presented a multitude of nutrition topics for large and small audiences, contracted with businesses to implement worksite wellness initiatives, and currently manages day-to-day food service operations at a local non-profit agency, as well as directs activities related to nutrition and health.  Katina can be reached at ksayerswalker@gmail.com.