As early as the 19th century, alcohol was considered to increase athletic ability and was used in sports. For example, marathon runners were given brandy in competitions. Even today, there are still some athletes who believe that a small amount of alcohol can improve athletic performance and drink it during exercise. However, in fact, on the contrary, alcohol will reduce the athlete's athletic ability.
Studies have shown that alcohol can reduce strength, speed, muscular endurance and cardiovascular endurance. A large amount of alcohol consumption at one time can lead to a decrease in response, balance and coordination. Even on the second day of moderate drinking, these exercise capabilities cannot be fully restored. .
Some athletes believe that beer can supplement sugar and water consumed during exercise, and can be drunk as a sugar and liquid reserve before competition or training. So can beer really add sugar to muscles? Let’s take a look: a 360ml bottle of beer can provide 16 grams of sugar, which is about 5.6 grams less than a bottle of a sports drink with the same volume of 6% sugar.
More importantly, the main source of heat energy in beer is alcohol rather than sugar. Although it is quickly absorbed, the energy in alcohol is only metabolized in the liver and not in the muscles. The energy (energy food) required by the muscles is little or not from the burning of alcohol in the body. Therefore, beer cannot supplement the energy consumed for muscle work.
On the other hand, the alcohol in beer stimulates the kidneys to produce urine, accelerates the loss of water in the body and aggravates dehydration. Studies have shown that the body can lose 3% of body weight due to water loss within 4 hours after drinking. This is extremely detrimental to sports, especially endurance sports, and increases the risk of heart disease during exercise.
If you drink beer immediately after exercise, it will delay rehydration and even aggravate dehydration. Therefore, beer should not be used as a sports drink before, during and after exercise.