Alcohol and athletics are both deeply ingrained in various cultures and in many cases, are intertwined. Old photographs depict Tour de France cyclists drinking beers mid-race, while more modern examples include spraying champagne from a Formula 1 podium or opening an expensive bottle of wine to celebrate an athletic achievement. However, one can question whether alcohol and athletics are really the ideal combination.
Outside of athletics, various views exist on the health impacts of alcohol. Some studies suggest that moderate alcohol consumption can be linked to long-term cardiovascular benefits, but other research connects it with cardiovascular risk (Chiva-Blanch and Badimon 2019). Hepatic tissue damage is a well-known side effect of excessive consumption since the liver is the main site of alcohol metabolism (Osna et al. 2017). Fermented alcohols, particularly red wine, contain high levels of bioactive compounds, such as the polyphenol resveratrol, found in grapes (Figure 1) (Chiva-Blanch and Badimon 2019; Meng et al. 2020). Resveratrol has been shown to have a variety of positive health effects including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, neuroprotective, and cardioprotective properties (Meng et al. 2020). Despite the health benefits of resveratrol and other compounds, alcohol is thought to have an overall negative effect on athletic recovery and performance (Vella and Cameron-Smith 2010; Kurtz 2024).
Figure 1: Chemical structure of trans resveratrol, a compound naturally found in grapes and therefore in red wine (Matsumoto et al. 2025).
One interesting paradox lies in the fact that the antioxidant properties of resveratrol mitigate exercise-induced benefits (Meng et al. 2020). It has been known for decades that physical activity causes the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the human body due to increased oxygen flow to the muscles (Yavari et al. 2015). While oxidative stress is commonly viewed as detrimental, ROS production during exercise is crucial for muscle adaptation (Figure 2). ROS produced by muscles act as signaling molecules that oxidize and activate select proteins and transcription factors (Powers et al. 2024). These signaling pathways trigger exercise-induced adaptations such as mitochondrial biogenesis and increased levels of endogenous antioxidant enzymes and other protective proteins to combat muscular dystrophy and injury.
Figure 2: Signaling pathway of reactive oxygen species to induce muscular adaptations in response to physical training (Powers et al. 2024).
Alcohol consumption also impairs athletic recovery by slowing glycogen replenishment to the liver and muscles, disrupting protein synthesis, and promoting dehydration through the suppression of antidiuretic hormone (Vella and Cameron-Smith 2010; Kurtz 2024). Since the human body perceives ethanol as a toxin, alcohol metabolism is given priority over other metabolic processes such as gluconeogenesis and glucose output. This results in hypoglycemia and an impaired ability to replenish energy stores for future use.
Alcohol exerts both cognitive and physical effects during exercise as well. Cognitive impairment includes slowed reflexes and reduced balance, coordination, and motor control (Vella and Cameron-Smith 2010; Kurtz 2024). Meanwhile heart rate and blood pressure regulation is disrupted, decreasing cardiovascular efficiency and endurance while increasing fatigue.
Despite the protective effects of certain compounds found in alcoholic beverages, such as resveratrol, alcohol has been shown to have various detrimental effects on athletic performance and recovery. This goes to say that while a celebratory drink every once in a while won’t ruin an athlete’s career, it would not be the ideal choice for fuel before an important competition or recovery during a heavy training block.
References
Chiva-Blanch, Gemma, and Lina Badimon. 2019. “Benefits and Risks of Moderate Alcohol Consumption on Cardiovascular Disease: Current Findings and Controversies.” Nutrients 12 (1): 108. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12010108.
Kurtz, Jennifer A. 2024. “Alcohol & Endurance Athletes.” First Endurance, December 24. https://firstendurance.com/blogs/articles/alcohol-endurance-athletes.
Matsumoto, Kozo, Takeo Mitoma, Iku Yamashita, and Tatsuki Watanabe. 2025. “Curing of Resveratrol-Based Trifunctional Five-Membered Cyclic Carbonate with Various Diamines and Properties of the Cured Resins.” Polymer Journal 57 (12): 1391–97. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41428-025-01077-x.
Meng, Xiao, Jing Zhou, Cai-Ning Zhao, Ren-You Gan, and Hua-Bin Li. 2020. “Health Benefits and Molecular Mechanisms of Resveratrol: A Narrative Review.” Foods 9 (3): 340. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9030340.
Osna, Natalia A., Terrence M. Donohue, and Kusum K. Kharbanda. 2017. “Alcoholic Liver Disease: Pathogenesis and Current Management.” Alcohol Research : Current Reviews 38 (2): 147–61. https://doi.org/10.35946/arcr.v38.2.01.
Powers, Scott K., Zsolt Radak, Li Li Ji, and Malcolm Jackson. 2024. “Reactive Oxygen Species Promote Endurance Exercise-Induced Adaptations in Skeletal Muscles.” Journal of Sport and Health Science 13 (6): 780–92. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2024.05.001.
Vella, Luke D., and David Cameron-Smith. 2010. “Alcohol, Athletic Performance and Recovery.” Nutrients 2 (8): 781–89. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu2080781. Yavari, Abbas, Maryam Javadi, Parvin Mirmiran, and Zahra Bahadoran. 2015. “Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress and Dietary Antioxidants.” Asian Journal of Sports Medicine 6 (1): e24898. https://doi.org/10.5812/asjsm.24898.
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