Alcohol Consumption Over the Holidays
by author Brad J. King, MS, MFS

Excess alcohol can ruin anyone's metabolic success, as alcohol contributes to excess body fat.

• Alcohol calories are used as a preferential and easy form of fuel for the body, which stops your own body fat stores from being used.
• Alcohol is eventually metabolized into a compound called acetate. It is the amount of acetate produced that is responsible for preventing fat from being oxidized for energy.
• Alcohol can cause a rise in the muscle-wasting stress hormone cortisol, leading to a reduction in your ability to burn calories.

My Aching Head

The reason we experience the dreaded hangover is because of another substance from alcohol ingestion, called acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde happens to be a very potent neurotoxin that causes a great deal of free-radical damage. The good news is that some nutrients can actually block some of this damage.

Following is my defence strategy for blocking some of the damage from acetaldehyde toxicity and helping to limit the old hangover syndrome. However, it will not sober up a drunk and is not a recommendation for alcoholics.

Try consuming the following mix of nutrients before and after a night of drinking:

• N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) 200 to 500 mg
• Vitamin C 1,000 mg
• High potency B complex

Source: alive Web Exclusive, December 2007