Alcohol and weight gain

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11584159

BACKGROUND:
Acute and chronic alcohol intoxication decreases skeletal muscle protein synthesis under in vivo conditions. We investigated whether ethanol (EtOH) and its major metabolites, acetaldehyde and acetate, can directly modulate protein balance under in vitro conditions.

METHODS:
Human myocytes were incubated with different doses of EtOH for varying periods of time (i.e., 4-72 hr). Alternatively, cells were incubated with acetaldehyde, acetate, insulin, insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I), or with a combination of EtOH plus insulin or IGF-I. Rates of protein synthesis or degradation were determined by 35S-methionine/cysteine incorporation into or release from cellular protein.

RESULTS:
A significant, 15% to 20%, decrease in basal protein synthesis was observed after 24 hr, but not at earlier time points, in response to 80 mM EtOH. Incubation of myocytes for 72 hr decreased synthesis in cells incubated with EtOH ranging between 60 and 120 mM. The ability of IGF-I or insulin to stimulate protein synthesis was impaired by 30% and 60%, respectively, in cells incubated with 80 mM EtOH for 72 hr. Exposure of cells to 200 microM acetaldehyde or 5 mM Na-acetate also decreased basal protein synthesis. In contrast, neither EtOH, acetaldehyde, nor acetate altered the basal rate of protein degradation. However, EtOH completely impaired the ability of insulin and IGF-I to inhibit proteolysis. Finally, EtOH did not impair IGF-I receptor autophosphorylation, but inhibited the ability of insulin to phosphorylate its own receptor. EtOH also did not alter the number of insulin or IGF-I receptors or the formation of insulin/IGF-I hybrid receptors.

CONCLUSIONS:
We have demonstrated that EtOH can directly inhibit muscle protein synthesis under in vitro conditions. Neither EtOH nor its metabolites altered basal protein degradation, although EtOH did compromise the ability of both insulin and IGF-I to slow proteolysis. This impairment seems to be mediated by different defects in signal transduction.

EtOH (Ethanol) is what caused it..not "dehydration" LOL. You get an A for effort though

Read the study you just posted.

That is do do with the effects on protein synthesisation in vitro. The human body is not in vitro, it is rather in vivo and one should really not attempt to link the two.

Ok read the other 2 I posted which were not conducted in vitro. Like it really matters. Tell you what, you drink your alcohol and enjoy alllll those amazing gains. I find it funny how people find every way they can to defend something that destroys the liver among the other counterproductive things it inhibits towards fitness.


Do what you want and I'll do what I want. Best of luck in all of your future fitness endeavors.

"Like it really matters."? Bro, you in High School?

Alcohol will cause you to gain weight but definitely not muscle. Alcohol eats away at muscle mass.

My trainer told me that alcohol slows your metabolism.

Also, drinking tends to make bad food look really GOOD! Not to mention when I drink I get lazy, lose my energy and motivation. By no means will your body respond well to replacing a meal with shots of vodka.