Wine and Alcohol - a Basic Body Energy Source

In learning How Wine is Metabolized, you learn that the calories in wine are related to its alcohol content. Really, considering the Chemistry of Wine, there isn't much else IN wine to consider, besides water.

Really, the calories don't matter, because very little of alcohol is turned into fat. Instead, the liver converts it into acetate, which the body burns for fuel. For dieters, the thing to watch is that the body enjoys burning acetate more readily than burning body fat - meaning that body fat waits to be burned until after all of the acetate is used up.

This is because acetate is one of the four basic fuel groups the body uses to keep itself running. The four fuel groups are:

* carbohydrates
* alcohol/acetate
* fat
* protein

Carbohydrates are loved by the body as easy energy to break down with normal amounts of oxygen. That is why people who eat a lot of carbohydrates find it hard to lose weight - because those fat cells are never being touched for energy-usage. The body uses the available carbs for the energy it needs.

Alcohol comes next in the energy chain, if there aren't carbs around. Alcohol brings you the highest amount of energy, but is relatively difficult for the body to break down. Alcoholics harm their liver by feeding their body too much alcohol.

Once all of the carbs and acetate have been used, the body looks around for more energy and sees the fat deposits it has available. Fat actually has more energy in it than carbs do, but is much harder for the body to process. It requires more oxygen.

Protein provides good energy, but proteins are normally used to build muscles and repair tissues. So it is not a "quick" process to get energy out of protein, and your body tries to avoid doing this.

Note: A great deal of research and work went into my wine / health pages. If you use this information, please credit me properly. Thanks!

Wine and Health