SIDELINE

As an athlete every day you make the choice to come to practice and work hard, to play safe and prevent injuries, and to be part of the team. But your choices off the court and field determine which side of the line you are on during the game.

This project looks at the effect of alcohol on the body and how it affects athletic performance and overall well-being. Check back for updates to see how you can stay in the game and off the sideline.

 

Alcohol Effects on the Body

Alcohol and Pain

Alcohol is a depressant and it can desensitize the body to pain. No one really wants to feel pain, but it is an indicator of injury, and when you feel pain you need to react. Consuming alcohol can put you at risk when your body is in danger. Alcohol can also slow down the healing process and prolong injury.

 

Reaction Time

Alcohol adversely affects performance in situations involving rapidly changing stimuli. In sports there are so many variables changing that it is hard for someone who has consumed alcohol to keep up. Alcohol has adverse effects on visual tracking, hand eye coordination, fine motor skills, and accuracy. This leads to poor choices made during competition.

Source: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/issa65.htm
Wilmore, J.H. Costill, D.L. Physiology of sport and exercise. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. 1994.

 

Endurance and Muscle Soreness

Alcohol prevents the liver from making glucose, which leaves you, as an athlete, tired and wondering what happened to your endurance. Alcohol can leave you out of bounds as you watch your team.

1. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is used in the body for muscle contractions.
2. ATP is produced during glycolysis = breakdown of glucose to ATP.
3. ATP is leaked into the blood when there is damage to a muscle tissue.
4. Alcohol decreases production of glucose --> muscle fatigue --> muscle soreness.

So what does that really mean? Basically, when you consume alcohol the body isn't able to break down the essential nutrient for energy because it is not there. To compensate the body tries to keep up and is fatigued. When the muscles are fatigued, but you still demand things from them, the muscles become overworked. Overworked muscles lead to muscle soreness, which can be seen by an increase of creatinephosphokinate (CPK) in the blood.

Source: Wilmore, Jack H. Costill, David L. Kenney, W. Larry. Physiology of Sport and Exercise. Energy expenditure and Fatigue.
Edition 4. Chapter 4. Pp.100-104.

Alcohol Advisory Counsel of New Zealand. Sport. Alcohol and Exercise. http://www.alcohol.org.nz/Sport.aspx?PostingID=835

 

Chronic Alcohol Abuse and Performance

The repeated use of alcohol over time can have a negative effect on an athlete's performance. Due to the nature of alcohol's affect on the body it is linked to several pathologies such as liver cirrhosis, ulcers, heart disease, diabetes, bone disorders, and mental disorders. The nutritional effects of alcohol are also numerous and they included altered nutrient intake, digestion, absorption, metabolism, physiological effects, and excretion of nutrients. The hormonal environment can also change, making it harder for the body to increase muscle mass and strength. Muscle damage, muscle wasting, and muscle weakness can also occur in various muscles, even the heart!

 

Alcohol leads to Dehydration

Alcohol is a diuretic, a substance that causes the body to increase the passing of urine. Alcohol causes the body to pass excess body fluids in the form of urine, thus dehydrating the body. This leads to dizziness and muscle cramps. Alcohol can produce a 3% loss of body weight (as fluid loss) within four hours of consumption. Chronic dehydration can lead to other health problems such as kidney failure and coma. Overall dehydration due to alcohol can put you out of bounds.

 

Source: Korziris, L. Perry. Current comment: Alcohol and Athletic Performance. April 2000. American College of Sports Medicine. Feb. 2007.