Alcohol and Hormones: What's the Connection?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsThe Effect of Alcohol on HormonesBlood Sugar LevelsReproductive FunctionsCalcium Metabolism and Bone StructureCortisol Levels

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

The Effect of Alcohol on Hormones

Blood Sugar Levels

Reproductive Functions

Calcium Metabolism and Bone Structure

Cortisol Levels

Hormones act as chemical messengers to control and coordinate the functions of the body’s tissues and organs. When the hormone system works properly, the exact amount of hormone is released at the right time, and the body’s tissues respond to those messages accurately.

Thebody’s hormoneswork together in a finely coordinated and complex system to keep us healthy and functioning. Alcohol can interfere with the operation of the hormone system and cause serious medical consequences.

By interfering with the hormone system, alcohol can affect blood sugar levels, impair reproductive functions, interfere with calcium metabolism and bone structure, affect hunger and digestion, and increase the risk of osteoporosis.

The main energy source for all body tissues is sugar glucose. The body gets glucose from food, from synthesis in the body, and from the breakdown of glycogen which is stored in the liver.

Other hormones from theadrenal glandsand the pituitary gland back up the function of glucagon to make sure the body’s glucose level doesn’t fall low enough to cause fainting, passing out or even brain damage.

Parts of the Brain

Alcohol interferes with all three glucose sources and the hormones that regulate glucose levels. There are many ways alcohol consumption affects the body’s glucose levels. Alcohol is known to:

Chronic heavy drinking can increase the body’s glucose levels. A review published in 2015 reported that chronic heavy drinking can cause glucose intolerance in healthy people. It can also:

Alcohol’s Effect on Nutrition

Many hormones in the body regulate the reproductive system. The two main hormones—androgens (testosterone) and estrogens (estradiol)—are synthesized in the testes and ovaries. These hormones affect various reproductive functions. In men, they are responsible for:

In women, hormones perform many functions, including:

Chronic drinking can interfere with all of these reproductive functions. Alcohol can impair the adequate functioning of the testes and ovaries and result in hormonal deficiencies, sexual dysfunction, and infertility.

Although many reproductive problems were found in women who were alcoholics, some problems were also found in women considered social drinkers. In premenopausal women, chronic heavy drinking contributes to reproductive disorders, including:

How Much Alcohol Is Safe to Drink?

Hormones play an important role in maintaining calcium levels in the body, which is necessary not only for strong bones and teeth but also for communication between and within cells of the body. Several hormones—parathyroid hormone (PTH), vitamin D-derived hormones, and calcitonin—work to regulate calcium absorption, excretion, and distribution between bones and body fluids.

Acute alcohol consumptioncan interfere with these hormones and therefore calcium and bone metabolism in several ways, including:

All of these problems can cause calcium deficiency which can lead to bone diseases, such as osteoporosis, a loss of bone mass and therefore an increased risk of fractures.

Alcohol-related bone health problems pose a serious health threat foralcoholicsdue to the greater risks of falls and therefore fractured or broken bones.

The good news is studies have found that alcohol’s effect on bone metabolism and bone-forming cells are at least partially reversible when alcoholics stop drinking.

Researchers have found that alcohol consumption alsoincreases the body’s production of cortisol, not only while the person is drinking but also later when the drinker is withdrawing from the effects of intoxication.In the short term,cortisolcan increase blood pressure, focus alertness and attention. Still, it can adversely impact body functions such as bone growth, digestion, reproduction, and wound repair in the longer term.

3 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Rachdaoui N, Sarkar DK.Effects of alcohol on the endocrine system.Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2013;42(3):593–615. doi:10.1016/j.ecl.2013.05.008Steiner JL, Crowell KT, Lang CH.Impact of Alcohol on Glycemic Control and Insulin Action.Biomolecules. 2015;5(4):2223–2246. doi:10.3390/biom5042223Gaddini GW, Turner RT, Grant KA, Iwaniec UT.Alcohol: A Simple Nutrient with Complex Actions on Bone in the Adult Skeleton.Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2016;40(4):657–671. doi:10.1111/acer.13000

3 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Rachdaoui N, Sarkar DK.Effects of alcohol on the endocrine system.Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2013;42(3):593–615. doi:10.1016/j.ecl.2013.05.008Steiner JL, Crowell KT, Lang CH.Impact of Alcohol on Glycemic Control and Insulin Action.Biomolecules. 2015;5(4):2223–2246. doi:10.3390/biom5042223Gaddini GW, Turner RT, Grant KA, Iwaniec UT.Alcohol: A Simple Nutrient with Complex Actions on Bone in the Adult Skeleton.Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2016;40(4):657–671. doi:10.1111/acer.13000

Rachdaoui N, Sarkar DK.Effects of alcohol on the endocrine system.Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2013;42(3):593–615. doi:10.1016/j.ecl.2013.05.008Steiner JL, Crowell KT, Lang CH.Impact of Alcohol on Glycemic Control and Insulin Action.Biomolecules. 2015;5(4):2223–2246. doi:10.3390/biom5042223Gaddini GW, Turner RT, Grant KA, Iwaniec UT.Alcohol: A Simple Nutrient with Complex Actions on Bone in the Adult Skeleton.Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2016;40(4):657–671. doi:10.1111/acer.13000

Rachdaoui N, Sarkar DK.Effects of alcohol on the endocrine system.Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 2013;42(3):593–615. doi:10.1016/j.ecl.2013.05.008

Steiner JL, Crowell KT, Lang CH.Impact of Alcohol on Glycemic Control and Insulin Action.Biomolecules. 2015;5(4):2223–2246. doi:10.3390/biom5042223

Gaddini GW, Turner RT, Grant KA, Iwaniec UT.Alcohol: A Simple Nutrient with Complex Actions on Bone in the Adult Skeleton.Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2016;40(4):657–671. doi:10.1111/acer.13000

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