Welcome to the Expert Q&A Section for March 2007. There's no arguement that your diet plays a vital role in muscle development. In this section of the magazine, our resident diet expert Doug Lawrenson answers a question sent in by one of our subscribers or forum members. If you have question you would like Doug to answer here, head over to our muscle building forum and post your question in this thread.

March Diet&Nutrition Question:

Will alcohol affect my training goals?

Answer:

It sure will. Studies have shown that routine alcohol drinkers suppress circulating insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and increases IGF binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) levels. So what does this mean? Well. IGF-1 is a powerful stimulator of muscle protein synthesis, and IGFBP-1 inhibits the anabolic properties of IGF-1. Therefore, low IGF-1 levels combined with high IGFBP-1 levels, reflects a seriously low IGF-1 bioavailability. This isn’t good for muscle growth or strength. Because the main production site of IGF-1 and IGFBP-1 is the liver, and the toxic effect of the alcohol disrupts the delicate balance of the growth factors. If you are concerned with maximizing your efforts in the gym, you may want to think about non-alcoholic drinks.

Get your questions answered, join our forum free now!

About Doug Lawrenson:

Doug Lawrenson is our resident diet guru & fitness over on the Muscle&Strength Forum. Doug has had experience as a bodybuilder, coach and judge at national competition level. If you have questions for Doug or need some advice you can chat to Doug on the forum. Doug is on the forum almost every day!

Doug has written some in-depth and informative articles that have been featured on Muscle&Strength.com. To read some of his articles, check out the diet & nutrition articles section of this this website.