Fact or Fiction: Does Drinking Alcohol Negatively Affect Training For a Run?

Being a runner, I have heard many suggestions on how to train for races. Advice on increasing mileage and intensity, optimal foods to eat, and how to prevent muscle strains are often passed along, but one idea left me curious—is it a good idea to drink alcohol while training? Some people say that drinking an alcoholic beverage will effect training for races, yet others think a beer is the refresher they need after an intense workout.  While an occasional beer or alcoholic beverage may, in fact,  have health benefits, is it a good idea to drink if you are training for a race?

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According to the informational running website Runner’s World, “Various studies suggest that alcohol intake leads to dehydration […] decreases uptake of glucose and amino acids by the skeletal muscles, adversely affects the body’s energy supply, and impairs metabolic processes during exercise,” which may cause your training to suffer. The American College of Sports Medicine explains, “acute alcohol ingestion is not associated with improvement in exercise capacity and may decrease performance levels […and might] perturb the body’s temperature regulation mechanism during exercises, particularly in a cold environment,” as stated on Runner’s World.

Live Strong, a health and fitness website, states that “During running—and any other form of aerobic exercise—the body regulates temperature to prevent hyperthermia (overheating) and hypothermia (low core temperature),” but with alcohol in the system, the body has trouble regulating these temperatures. Additionally, alcohol may cause dehydration, which increases the risk of muscle cramps, pulls, and strains, and may effect a runner’s performance. The American College of Sports Medicine “classifies alcohol as a diuretic—or a substance which promotes the production of urine [and] even moderate intake can lead to significant dehydration in runners,” Live Strong explains. Alcohol ingested twenty-four hours before a run can affect dehydration, so it is important to drink plenty of water. Live Strong suggests drinking “eight ounces of water […] before and after exercise,” in order to stay hydrated. Remember, whether or not alcohol is consumed before a run, it is important to stay hydrated to avoid injuries.

Drinking alcohol before a run will effect performance and could cause possible health dangers, but how much alcohol is enough to be considered harmful to drink before exercising? As stated on Live Strong, “The American College of Sports Medicine states that runners who consumed alcohol within 24 hours of a run, and who had a BAC [blood alcohol content level] of at least 0.04 percent, will be most likely to experience negative effects.” While consuming alcohol can cause dehydration, “diuretics have also been linked to the depletion of certain electrolytes like potassium and sodium,” according to Live Strong.  Medical News Today “reports that [electrolytes] are crucial for maintaining the function of nerves and muscles,” and those who had an alcohol beverage may be at risk of having a low levels of potassium.

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Verdict: Fact. Consuming alcohol negatively affects training. It varies for different people, but if you are training to improve your time or win a medal, it might be smart to stay away from beer until after the race. Interestingly, a study found in the research journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that non-alcoholic wheat beer actually helped runners stay healthier than those who drank a placebo. Science Daily, a health and research website, states that “non-alcoholic wheat beer containing polyphenols has a positive, health promoting effect on the human body: inflammation parameters in the blood were significantly reduced, and there was a lower frequency of infection with milder symptom,” according to the study. Talk to your doctor and research beverage choices if you are training for a run or other sporting event.

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Would you keep drinking throughout your training schedule?