Christmas is coming and for many that means lots of company dos and an endless list of social events. So the subject for this week’s article is alcohol and its side effects.

Perhaps many of you will not read on. But if this article can help you to reduce your intake then reading it will be time well spent.

Most events at Christmas will include alcohol. So, even if you are someone who indulges just at weekends, the chances are you will increase your intake during this time of the year.

I’m not suggesting that you do not drink any alcohol. All I want to do is help you understand the effect that alcohol as on your body.

Drinking alcohol:

Greatly increases your daily calorie intake

Massively spikes cortisol (the stress hormone in your body that can prevent you from losing body fat)

Greatly increases sugar consumption so you will crave carbs and sugar the following day.

If you are looking to attain a lean, healthy body avoiding alcohol is good. It’s not just the added calories.

Alcohol affects metabolism. When you drink it your body puts all other metabolic processes on hold until it has processed it.

Your body can’t convert the calories from the alcohol to fat, meaning it needs to use them up, and will delay all other fat burning and energy use until the alcohol has been processed.

Drinking alcohol affects your hormones, increasing cortisol and modifying steroid metabolism in the liver. This results in lower androgens for both sexes (androgens are hormones that contribute to reproduction in men and women). Women with higher levels of androgens and men with lower levels are at risk of belly fat gain. For men lower androgens mean less testosterone. Bad!

On the up side, moderate alcohol consumption is linked to a decreased risk of diabetes, and red wine contains resveratrol, an antioxidant that delays ageing and decreases inflammation.

Alcohol is thought to increase insulin sensitivity, but temporarily paralyses the liver and other metabolic processes, an effect not good for weight loss.

So, with Christmas almost upon us, here’s some points to help you decrease the damage alcohol can do to your body:

1 You don’t need to drink on EVERY social occasion. Christmas isn’t an excuse to get drunk four or five nights a week

2 Choose dry white wines – Dry being defined as less than 1.4 per cent residual sugar

3 Choose red rather than white wine.The best reds are Spanish ones that contain more resveratol

4 Avoid champagne (ha ha, right!)

5 Follow a glass of wine with water

6 On the day of your party eat a protein rich breakfast, lunch and dinner

7 Drink green tea before you drink alcohol

8 Take a milk thistle supplement to cleanse the liver

9 Eat a protein rich breakfast the next day to cut carb and sugar cravings

10 Keep on exercising – even if it’s just 20 minutes.

I hope this helps you to minimise the damage that alcohol will have on your body.

By all means enjoy yourself. But be prepared to suffer the results.