Alcohol and Running – is it a good idea?
Most people enjoy a social drink and runners are no exception. During the summer months there are lots of socialising opportunities and holidays, when we may drink more alcohol than usual which may affect running performance.
Today we are going to talk about:
1. Health and Performance effects of chronic consumption of alcohol on an endurance runner
2. Management of alcohol around race day – a question we get asked often
3. Lifestyle tips, advice and alternatives to alcohol
SHOW NOTES
(05:49)
The long-term effects of chronic alcohol consumption and understanding what is a unit of alcohol
The long-term effects of chronic alcohol consumption include various cancer, stroke, heart disease, liver disease, and damage to the brain and nervous system. Chronic consumption usually means continuing or occurring again and again for a long time.
Heavy drinking even on a small number of days per week increases risks to health. Consequently, it is recommended that people who drink as much as 14 units a week regularly should spread their drinking evenly over 3 or more days per week.
A unit is quite a small amount of alcohol and the number of units you drink depends on the size of your glass and the strength of the alcohol.
For example, a 250ml glass of 11% alcohol equates to 2.8 units whilst a 250ml glass of 14% alcohol equates to 3.5 units – 14 units across a week would equate to 5 x 250ml 11% glasses or 4 glass of 14% alcohol. It pays to check labels and know your glass measurements.
(11:14)
What is considered as moderate alcohol consumption?
Moderate intake is defined as up to one drink a day for women and up to two drinks a day for men, according to the Mayo Clinic (one drink is defined as a 12-ounce beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine, or 1.5-ounce serving of 80-proof distilled spirits.)
In the UK guidance is based on units of alcohol with guidance being to drink no more that 14 units in a week.
The Chief Medical Officers’ guideline for both men and women is that (UK government 2016)
· To keep health risks from alcohol to a low level it is safest not to drink more than 14 units a week on a regular basis.
· If you regularly drink as much as 14 units per week, it is best to spread your drinking evenly over 3 or more days.
· If you have one or two heavy drinking episodes a week, you increase your risks of death from long term illness and from accidents and injuries.
· The risk of developing a range of health problems (including cancers of the mouth, throat and breast) increases the more you drink on a regular basis.
· If you wish to cut down the amount you drink, a good way to help achieve this is to have several drink-free days each week.
(14:12)
What is binge drinking?
Binge drinking usually refers to drinking lots of alcohol in a short space of time or drinking to get drunk.
According to UK NHS - binge drinking would be considered as a single-episode drinking of:
· 8 units of alcohol in a single session for men
· 6 units of alcohol in a single session for women
Examples: 6 units is 2 pints of 5% strength beer or 2 large (250ml) glasses of 12% wine - that doesn’t feel like a lot especially if you are someone who has lots of alcohol- free days – the key would be to sip over a few hours
To reduce short term health...
