Corinne Smith

KNH 188 Research Paper

Win or Lose We Booze
Athletes practice hours a day for very stressful and sometimes short
performances. An Olympic race can be over in less than ten seconds after four years of
intense training. Therefore, one can assume that the celebration of the athletes hard work
and focus will continue after all the fans and cameras have leftmost likely to the bars.
Celebrating with alcohol has proven to be a long-standing tradition among athletes. There
was no exception in London this past summer as athletes such as swimmer Ryan Lochte
and soccer player Hope Solo were seen in local London clubs partying
1
. Even among
non-professional athletes, alcohol is the most widely used drug. But what effect does this
use of alcohol have on the athletes and their future performances? Due to its prevalence
in todays athletes and its perceived consequences, I decided to research this topic and
found some surprising results.
The article I found in Science Directs Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport
looked specifically at how alcohol consumption after strenuous eccentric exercise, such
as competition, effect muscle recovery and performance. The hypothesis was that
moderate amounts of alcohol would not delay normal recovery of muscular performance.
The study looked at eleven healthy males who regularly participated in resistance training
and were not new to drinking alcohol. The research employed an experimental study. The
methods included looking at one leg of each participant during two experimental trials

1
Olympic Athletes Let Loose in London CBS online, August 10, 2012
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57490709/olympic-athletes-let-loose-in-
london/
(control/treatment). Isolated movements of the quadriceps during five maximal isometric,
concentric, and eccentric contractions were completed as a test of muscle performance,
along with measurements of blood numbers and isometric torque across the knee. During
another trial 300 maximal eccentric contractionsthe slowing down of the elongation of
the muscle process in order to challenge muscles of the quadricep were completed and
thirty minutes later each participant consumed 1g/kg of body weight of alcohol as vodka
and orange juice or a control of just orange juice. The participants then returned the
following three mornings to record blood numbers at 12 hours and 36 hours post
drinking, perceived soreness at 12 hours, 36 hours, and 60 hours post drinking, and a
measurement of maximal isometric torque produced across the knee 36 hours and 60
hours post drinking.
The results showed that there was no correlation with perceived soreness between
the control and experimental group with alcohol consumption. However, peak strength
loss was significantly greater in the experimental alcohol group with performance
measures decreasing. These results indicate that the consumption of alcohol after
eccentric-bases exercise magnifies the normal losses of muscular strength and delays the
healing process over the first 24 hours, and also proves the researchers hypothesis
wrong. There was discussion held about earlier studies of the effects of alcohol before
athletic performance and its importance to this study, but this study stood unique in its
results and its timing better representative of current athletes habits. However, it is likely
that athletes consume more alcohol then tested, so it may be beneficial to a examine a
dose response effect on the loss of muscular function.
The secondary source I looked at presented a broader range of information on the
effects of alcohol and athletic performance; commenting on issues such as injury,
impairment of aerobic metabolism, and prevention and education of alcohol consumption
among athletes. Concerning injuries, injury incidence is 54.8% in drinkers and 23.5% in
nondrinkers, which can be attributed to the results of the above experiment and the
hangover effecthowever it was not stated whether or not the injuries specifically
happened during athletic performance or outside of it. The article comments on a study
where athletes were asked to consume their normal Friday night quantity of alcohol and
asked to return 16 hours later to test their athletic performance. Results showed that an
alcohol hangover reduced athletic performance by 11.4%. The hangover also left the
athletes with a depressed mood and headache making them feel unable to perform
maximally. These results add another risk factor for athletes when drinking. Another
interesting fact that this article presented was that athletes sometimes mistakenly take
alcohol as a sufficient energy source when in actuality it has the opposite effect
dehydration, which poses its own negative effect on an athletes body by decreasing
aerobic performance. Also, the metabolism of alcohol occurs in the liver at a very slow
metabolic rate of 10g/h for a 100 kg athlete and slower in smaller athletes and will not be
increased by exercise. This can result in a decrease in aerobic performance. As a solution
to the prevalence and danger of alcohol intake among athletes, the article proposed
education. By educating athletes, targeting youth, the knowledge of alcohols effects on
their performance will be available and possibly lead to smarter decisions in the future. In
conclusion, both articles comment on the negative correlation between alcohol
consumption and athletic performance and that alcohol should be avoided for optimal
performance and recovery.
I believe that this research his highly relevant and worthwhile to the study of
physical activity and health. To even begin my paper I had to sort through tons of articles
and research commenting on the effects of alcohol and athletic performance, most of
them being negative, showing an inverse relationship between the two. The effects shown
can be detrimental and decrease performance greatly. Also, since athletes have been
proven to be bigger risk takers due to their involvement in activities that may produce
large amount of adrenaline, they are more likely to take part in risky behaviors outside of
the arena. With this risky behavior, the prevalence of drinking among athletes whether to
celebrate or mourn a performance is higher than among non-athletes calling for the
need of more research and education in order to keep athletes safe and performing at peak
status. However, the research I looked at only included eleven male participants, which
may not have led to enough accurate data to apply it to all males and clearly not women.
Therefore, it may not be accurately applicable to the study of physical health and activity,
but the topic itself should remain prevalent.







Works Cited

Barnes, Matthew J., Mundel, Toby, Stannard, Stephen R. (2010). Acute alcohol
consumption aggravates the decline in muscle performance following strenuous
eccentric exercise. Science Direct: Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport.
Retrieved at <http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/detail?vid=2&hid=102&sid=000cfc28-9a1d-445e-
a7ffb79dbd95585c%40sessionmgr115&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=mnh&AN=
20878178>.

Lyon, Frank, OBrien, Conor P. (May 29, 2000). Alcohol and the Athlete. Sports Med.
Retrieved at <http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/search/basic?sid=000cfc28-9a1d-445e-a7ff-
b79dbd95585c%40sessionmgr115&vid=6&hid=102>.

Marx, Willem. (August 10, 2012). Olympic Athletes Let Loose in London. CBS online.
<http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57490709/olympic-athletes-let-
loose-in-london/>.