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Within the Journal of American College Health, there is an article entitled, “Gender
Differences in the Association Among Body Mass Index, Weight Loss, Exercise, and Drinking
Among College Students.” My reasoning for choosing this article is to correlate it with Dr.
Bosak’s course content for Module/Week 7 in strength and cardiovascular differences in males
and females. In the article, there was a study conducted that explored gender-based differences
regarding weight management behaviors, specifically of college drinkers. The reason this is
significant to the study of exercise physiology is because of its shown results of differences
amongst young adults who drink alcohol, and how this relates to their relationship with exercise;
which will allow us the opportunity to determine the risk factors of drinking and how this will
either positively or negatively correlate with weight management behaviors. We, as
physiologists, will have the necessary knowledge to promote improvement in one’s health
behaviors at a younger age due to the nature of these study’s; which will expectantly assist adults
in bodily functioning as they grow older.
The authors of this article introduced alcohol use as a precursor to eating disorders (diet-
related behaviors, anorexia, bulimia, unhealthy weight control practices) in collegiate men and
women. There presents to be a co-occurrence of disordered eating and alcohol abuse in both
groups. It has been discovered that 39% of college students (both male and female) who have
consumed alcohol within the past 30 days’ report restricting food, fat and/or calories on days
they planned to drink alcohol. Investigations have found no significant differences between
males and females in regards to reasons for restricting calories prior to drinking, which range
from avoiding weight gain to enhancing alcohol’s effects (Barry, 2013). The methods of this
study were presented through structural equation modeling (SEM). The models were used to
examine potential gender differences in associations among exercise, weight loss behaviors and
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alcohol use. Control variables were used to account for potential confounding effects; they
included ethnicity, Greek status and body mass index (BMI).
Overall, this was a strong article with valuable results. The facilitators used the controls
as guidelines towards what has previously been reported as the most common types of behaviors,
backgrounds and tendencies. This will create for strong results based upon the likeliness of
relatable associations with alcohol use. There were a few things that I discovered in this article
that could have possibly made the study results stronger. For example, instead of allowing self-
reported heights and weights to calculate BMI’s amongst the subjects, study-affiliated personnel
could have been appointed to record everyone’s height and weight to gain an accurate and up-to-
date reading. Self-reported height and weight from 26,062 subjects could cause for skewed
results due to blunder or uncertainty. There would have been a greater idea of how subjects gave
feedback in the ‘Exercise’ and ‘Alcohol Consumption/Drinking’ sections if the results had been
recorded in percentages rather than ranges. For example, there was an indicator given under the
exercise section where it asks participants, “on how many of the past seven days did you do
moderate-intensity cardio or aerobic exercise (causing a noticeable increase in heart rate, such as
a risk walk for at least 30 minutes?”. The last sentence in the paragraph states that, “responses
for each of these items ranged from 0 to 7 days.” This does not give clear outcomes. To create a
clearer result of the responses, they could have been recorded in a percentage format; as the
authors did with the weight loss measures. For example, 521 participants (2%) stated that they
did 0 days’ worth of moderate-intensity cardio or aerobic exercise within the past 7 days. The
study coordinators would have had to go into more detail, however, it would have been worth the
effort to get a simple breakdown of responses from participants to create a clearer picture of their
physical activity. The demographics of the participants can skew accurate results due to lack of
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equal variety. Out of the 26,062 students, only 7,955 were males. This is only 31% of the group.
Although women are more susceptible to eating disorders, it is important to balance the group
demographics due to the content and purpose of the study.
In the outcome, both males and females were likely to exercise for weight loss, and the
weight loss behaviors (exercise, purging, restricting calories) were associated with alcohol
consumption. Alcohol is metabolized mainly by the liver (95%). The rest is excreted by sweat,
breath and urine. The liver can process one ounce of liquor in an hour. The alcohol will enter
the stomach and small intestine when initially ingested; 20% is absorbed through the stomach
and 80% is absorbed through the small intestine and will then be metabolized in the liver
(Zakhari, 2006). The most common pathway for alcohol to metabolize is through alcohol
dehydrogenase (ADH) and aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH), which will break art the alcohol
molecule. This will become a nutritional concern due to one gram of alcohol equaling seven
calories. Alcohol is made by fermenting and distilling natural starch and sugar, which will allow
the calories to be considered ‘empty’. The body will not be able to metabolize sugars and fats as
efficiently which will, in turn, slow down metabolism. Alcohol interferes with the nutritional
process by having a negative effect on digestion, utilization and excretion of nutrients. To focus
back on gender differences, women metabolize alcohol differently than men.
Three pints of alcohol has as many calories as two burgers. In men, fat tends to go to the
stomach, creating the commonly used term, “beer belly”. Belly fat is more dangerous than other
fats. It can squeeze the organs and release harmful chemicals into the blood. This can lead to
cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Alcohol has the potential to increase visceral fat in men and
women (Traversy, 2015). Heavy drinkers are found to have a higher BMI and abdominal fat. It
also lowers testosterone levels in men. The increase in risk of cancers in men and women are
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common if they are common drinkers. Another issue drinkers may face is that the liver may be
unable to produce enough glucose; hypoglycemia. The body will need glucose for energy while
exercising. If the liver cannot produce enough glucose to fit the body’s needs, this will lead to
poor exercise performance. Because of the body accepting alcohol as empty calories, the
calories cannot be used by our muscles. The body will treat these calories as fat and convert its
sugars into fatty acids. When drinking, the body will respond by increasing heart rate, increasing
blood pressure and increasing blood lactate levels. While exercising, one may find that they
have a lack of energy or a loss of endurance. This is due to the reduction of ATP due to alcohol
(Shirreffs, 2006). Muscles will become depleted of their main source of fuel/energy, which will
lead to poor performance. This will be because of an insufficient flow of oxygen and nutrients to
the muscles due to dehydration.
Referring to the study, the author mentions how there is a stronger association between
exercise and weight loss behavior for females compared with males since weight loss is more
common among females, whereas males are more preoccupied with gaining muscle and losing
fat. Evidenced by the positive association between exercise and drinking, males tend to use
exercise to manage weight in the presence of alcohol consumption, whereas females may tend to
use alternative methods for weight loss/maintenance, such as, skipping meals or purging. This
finding echoes previous research identifying males as more likely to negate caloric intake with
exercise, whereas females are more likely to restrict food intake (Barry, 2013). Comparing this
to physiology, males may have the desire to gain muscle, but will be unable to do so successfully
if they are deciding to consume alcohol.
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Barry, A. E., Whiteman, S., Piazza-Gardner, A. K., & Jensen, A. C. (2013). Gender Differences
in the Associations Among Body Mass Index, Weight Loss, Exercise, and Drinking
Among College Students. Journal of American College Health, 61(7), 407-413.
doi:10.1080/07448481.2013.823973
Shirreffs, S. M., & Maughan, R. J. (2006). The Effect of Alcohol on Athletic
Performance. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 5(4), 192-196.
doi:10.1097/01.csmr.0000306506.55858.e5
Traversy, G., & Chaput, J. (2015). Alcohol Consumption and Obesity: An Update. Current
Obesity Reports, 4(1), 122-130. doi:10.1007/s13679-014-0129-4
Zakhari, S. (2006, December 22). Overview: How is alcohol metabolized b the body? Alcohol
Research & Health. 22;29(4):245-255.
