Impacts+of+Alcohol+on+Protein+Synthesis

=Background= toc

[|Protein synthesis] is the chemical process by which the human body creates new skeletal muscle proteins from [|DNA] in response to muscle stress and recovery. As the body's foundational process for strengthening muscle fibers, maximizing the benefits of protein synthesis is a hot topic among fitness goers who aim to achieve steady and progressive muscle growth. While maintaining a high protein diet, adequate hydration levels, and healthy muscle recovery techniques can result in increased production efficiency of protein synthesis, variables such as alcohol consumption can act to suppress it.

Protein Synthesis is the process of creation of new skeletal muscle proteins from DNA in the human body. After a workout, protein synthesis occurs on a large scale, acting as the process that allows our muscles to grow. Whether you are a professional athlete, bodybuilder, weekend warrior, or casual gym goer, a basic understanding of the effects of protein synthesis can aid in achieving efficient and progressive muscle growth. It is also important to understand the factors that can suppress the benefits of protein synthesis. Recent studies led by the [|Notre Dame Office of Alcohol and Drug Education] have found that the consumption of alcohol can subdue protein synthesis and aid to dehydration, making it more difficult for muscle fibers to recover after a workout. Finding a balance between training and alcohol consumption can be a difficult skill to cultivate. The vast majority of people do not have the same dedication to physical health as a professional athlete. However, a basic understanding of how alcohol consumption inhibits the benefits of protein synthesis can aid in crafting a better balance between training and social life. This wiki will discuss both the scientific process of protein synthesis as well as how to maximize its benefits after a workout. Impacts of alcohol consumption and the specific factors that inhibit the process of protein synthesis, as well as how timing alcohol consumption around muscle recovery can be crucial to maintaining the benefits of protein synthesis without abstaining from alcohol completely.

=Protein Synthesis= We have defined protein synthesis as the process of creation of new skeletal muscle proteins from DNA, occurring during muscle recovery periods after exercise. From a biological standpoint, the cultivation of new skeletal muscle proteins occurs in two main steps: [|transcription and translation]. Transcription, occurring in the cell's nucleus, is the process by which messenger RNA, or [|mRNA], is created from DNA. Messenger RNA is a grouping of RNA molecules whose purpose is to communicate genetic information from DNA to the ribosome, specifying the amino acid sequence at which proteins are created. The second and final step in the creation of protein from DNA is called translation. Translation is described as the genetic pairing of mRNA and ribosomes, occurring in the cell’s cytoplasm. [|Ribosomes] are particles found in large groupings in the cell’s cytoplasm, acting as a synthesizer for mRNA to create proteins. Bonds called [|codons] are formed between [|nucleotides] and amino acids allowing protein to grow, and completing the process of protein synthesis.

=Benefits of Protein Synthesis = For athletes, learning how to maximize the benefits of protein synthesis by understanding when the process occurs, and for how long, can help to more effectively achieve efficient and progressive muscle growth. Each time we exercise, we create tiny micro-tears in our muscle tissue. During exercise, blood rushes to the muscles that need repair, beginning the process of protein synthesis. Each time we create these tiny micro-tears in our muscle tissue, our body repairs them to be bigger and stronger than they were before. In order to maximize the benefits of protein synthesis, there must be adequate levels of natural hormones such as testosterone and human growth hormone (HGH), a sufficient amount of protein from food consumption, and satisfactory hydration levels to keep cells functioning efficiently.

=Alcohol Consumption and Protein Synthesis = While moderate alcohol consumption is widely regarded to be healthy for your heart, alcohol consumption on any level can inhibit muscle growth capability. According to a recent study from the Notre Dame Alcohol and Drug Office, both short term and long term consumption of alcohol can result in suppressed benefits of protein synthesis. Due to its high caloric value and disruptive nature, alcohol tends to place the body in a catabolic state in which normal bodily functions such as protein synthesis begin to falter. On a hormonal level, the consumption of alcohol can result in a decrease in testosterone production by up to 25%, as well as a decrease in human growth hormone (HGH) by up to 70%. Alcohol also causes dehydration which can severely limit cellular ability to recover and repair micro-tears in muscle tissue after a workout. According to a study published in the journal “Alcohol and Alcoholism”, the consumption of alcohol can decrease the overall effects of protein synthesis by 24-37%. In addition to a decrease in the production of protein synthesis, alcohol is often highly caloric containing abundant amounts of sugar. This will contribute to an increase in fat production, estrogen, and hangovers, none of which are beneficial to gaining muscle mass.

=Alcohol Consumption and Muscle Recovery = Most casual gym goers do not have the same level of dedication to consistent and flawless health choices that many professional athletes may have. The vast majority of people are not willing to abstain from alcohol consumption no matter how beneficial its absence may be. Fortunately, by scheduling the timing of alcohol consumption around periods of muscle recovery after a workout, the functional process of protein synthesis will not suffer. According to the “International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism,” protein synthesis occurs for up to 24-48 hours after a workout. This muscle recovery period is the crucial window of time in which muscle fibers heal and strengthen themselves. By limiting alcohol consumption during for 24-48 hours after a workout, protein synthesis will not be affected.

=Conclusions = Science on exercise and nutrition helps to lay the foundation for a fitness industry that has exploded into the United States market over the past few decades. The demand for such information has contributed in large part to the number of groundbreaking studies involving the health benefits of exercise and nutrition such as this one. As people around the world continue to chase their physical fitness goals, our knowledge base on how to more efficiently achieve them will continue to grow. Understanding the effects of alcohol consumption on protein synthesis and the progression of muscle growth will contribute to the methods by which we balance our training and social lives. Countering dehydration, hormonal deficiencies, and timing alcohol consumption around muscle recovery periods may aid to more progressive muscle growth. While most will not abstain from the consumption of alcohol, many will take the information at hand and utilize it to cultivate a healthier lifestyle, creating a healthier world.

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