Drinking Beer, Wine And Alcohol Doesn't Lower Testosterone

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Drinking Beer, Wine and Alcohol Doesnt Lower Testosterone (Part 2 of 4)

10 June 2011
By: Bryan Marcel, Certified Personal Trainer

http://www.bryanmarcel.com/beer-alcohol-lower-testosterone

25-Nov-12

Drinking Beer, Wine And Alcohol Doesn't Lower Testosterone

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In part 1 of this 4-part article series, Calories From Drinking Beer, Wine And Alcohol Wont Make You Fat, I
challenged the misconception that drinking alcohol makes you fat. In this article, Ill address another
common misconception about alcohol: Drinking alcoholic beverages, such as beer, wine, or hard alcohol
causes low testosterone levels. Whether substantiated or not, that claim may be reason enough for you to
avoid alcohol if youre a male who works out regularly or who is middle-aged. But you really dont have to
avoid drinking alcohol. For the majority of the male population, the effects of alcohol on testosterone are

overstated.
Youve probably heard the common belief that drinking alcohol lowers your testosterone. In fact, much of
the research on the relationship between alcohol and testosterone has shown large reductions in male
testosterone levels. Some studies have even shown that drinking alcohol lowers testosterone levels in
excess of 25%. Consequently, the majority of news stories about alcohol and testosterone echo these
findings. The good news is that those studies probably dont apply to you. Ive found that the widely
publicized studies showing that alcohol causes huge drops in testosterone were conducted on chronic
alcoholic men who typically already have low testosterone. Not surprising. In Darwinian terms, it prevents
them from creating unhealthy offspring. In my own life, Ive known two people who drank themselves to
death. Honestly, if youre a chronic alcoholic, low testosterone is the least of your health concerns.
Chances are, if youre reading this article, youre probably not an alcoholic, but just a moderate drinker.
Fortunately for you, the outlook is much brighter for moderate drinkers and those who only occasionally get
drunk. In a 2004 Dutch study [1], middle-aged men were given 40 grams of alcohol (about three 12-ounce
beers) per day, every day for 3 weeks. This resulted in a 6.8% decrease in plasma testosterone levels. A
6.8% drop in testosterone may sound significant, but it isnt. First, it took the equivalent of drinking 3 beers
each and every day for 3 weeks to get these results. You probably dont drink every single day unless
youre the aforementioned chronic alcoholic. Second, and more important, when you take into account that
serum testosterone levels in men can vary by 1015% from one moment to the next, a 6.8% percent
decrease becomes rather meaningless.
So what would happen to the testosterone levels in men if they didnt drink alcohol every day, and only
occasionally drank to the point of intoxication? A study in the January 2003 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical
and Experimental Research [2] sought to find out. The rats in this study were given 2 grams of alcohol per
kilogram of body weight. To put that into perspective, for a 180-pound person, thats about a 12-pack of
beer or 12 one and a half-ounce shots. When the testosterone levels of the rats were measured 30 minutes
after administering the alcohol by injection, researchers observed that levels had risen 400%. Not a

http://www.bryanmarcel.com/beer-alcohol-lower-testosterone

25-Nov-12

Drinking Beer, Wine And Alcohol Doesn't Lower Testosterone

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reduction, but an increase. Drinking alcohol may give you courage, but, unless youre a chronic alcoholic, it
wont have much of a negative effect on your testosterone level.
.
Related Articles:
Natural Remedies To Prevent Or Cure A Hangover
Soy Lowers Testosterone And Sperm Count Levels
Do Natural Testosterone Booster Supplements Work?
Why You Arent As Strong As You Could Be
Testosterone Choices For Men Treatment Options For Low Testosterone
Fat Versus Sugar
Bryan Marcels Healthy Diet 10 Simple Steps
Calories From Drinking Beer, Wine And Alcohol Wont Make You Fat (Part 1 of 4)

Drinking Red Wine Is Not Good For Your Heart Or Health (Part 3 of 4)
The French Paradox Isnt A Paradox Red Wine And Heart Disease (Part 4 of 4)
Weight Loss Confusion In America

Copyright, all rights reserved. Internet redistribution authorized with this active link present:
http://www.BryanMarcel.com

.
References
[1] Sierksma, A., Sarkola, T., Eriksson, C.J., van der Gaag, M.S.,
Grobbee, D.E., & Hendriks, H.F. (2004, May). Effect of moderate alcohol consumption
on plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, testosterone, and estradiol levels in middle-aged men and
postmenopausal women: a diet-controlled intervention study. Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 28 (5).

Retrieved May 20, 2011, from

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1097/01.ALC.0000125356.70824.81/abstract
[2] Alomary, A.A., Valle, M., O'Dell, L.E., Koob, G.F., Purdy, R.H. & Fitzgerald
(2003, January). Acutely administered ethanol participates in testosterone synthesis and
increases testosterone in rat brain. Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 27 (1). Retrieved May 20, 2011,
from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1530-0277.2003.tb02718.x/abstract
.
Copyright, all rights reserved. Internet redistribution authorized with this active link present:
http://www.BryanMarcel.com
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Posted By: Bryan Marcel in Articles, Exercise / Fitness, Hype, Men's Health
Tags: Tags: alcohol, men's health, muscle, myths, testosterone, wine

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