Does whisky make you fat? Here’s the Math!
When we talk about fat and bodyweight, everything eventually boils down to calories. While the choice of food or the source of calories matters, nothing is more important than how many calories you consume and how many you use. The definition of a Calorie is the amount of energy needed to heat one kilogram of water at one atmospheric pressure so its temperature increases by one degree Celsius. 1 Calorie or Cal is 4.2 kilojoules (kJ). It should be noted that Calorie is actually kilocalorie. The smaller unit is referred to as calories, with a small c.
Calories in your Whisky
The quantum of Calories in your whisky depends on many factors. The alcohol by volume, the type of whisky and the sugars, preservatives and mixers used in the drink are the major factors. The alcohol by volume in whisky is typically 40% to 70%. Most whiskies fall in the range of 40% to 50%. This implies only 40% to 50% of the whisky is alcohol. The rest are sugars, preservatives and mixers. There can be added colors and other ingredients. Let us now calculate the amount of calories in your whisky.
1 milliliter of ethyl alcohol weighs 0.787 gram. 1 gram of alcohol has 7 Cal. If the whisky has 40% alcohol by volume then a standard 30 milliliter peg has 9.444 grams of alcohol. 9.444 grams of alcohol has 66.1 Cal, since every gram has seven. 66.1 Cal is 278 kJ. If the whisky has 60% alcohol by volume then a standard 30 milliliter peg has 14.166 grams of alcohol. 14.166 grams of alcohol has 99.2 Cal. That is 417 kJ of energy.
Let us presume a scenario wherein you have five standard 30 milliliter pegs. You are consuming anywhere from 330 Calories to 496 Calories, depending on the alcohol by volume of the whisky. This calorie intake is solely from alcohol. You would gain additional calories from the sugars, preservatives and mixers in the whisky. The calorie intake from these may be greater than that of alcohol. Refined or processed sugar has more calories than every other food or drink you would normally consume.
Whisky and Fat
An average adult requires anywhere from two thousand to three thousand calories in a day, fewer if one has a sedentary lifestyle and more if one is an athlete or a fitness enthusiast. Imagine the calorie intake from all the foods and drinks through the day. If your calorie intake is higher than what you burn, then you are already getting fat. The excess calories will be stored in your adipose tissues, resulting in the growth of the fat cells in your body. Should you consume whisky in generous quantities while you are already maxing out your recommended daily calorie intake, then you are going to gain weight. If your total calorie intake, including all foods and drinks as well as the whisky, is short of the recommended daily calorie intake given your lifestyle then you have no reason to be worried.
Burn the Calories
There are millions of people around the world who try to burn the excess calories in the morning after a night of heavy drinking. Whether you are a regular whisky drinker or you have indulged in binge drinking once in a week, it is best to have a fitness regimen. The human body can metabolize ten grams of alcohol in an hour. This is why a standard peg is 30 milliliters. When you consume more than ten grams of alcohol in an hour, the body doesn’t succeed at breaking down and using the additional calories. It will keep working on the alcohol, its calories and derivatives but in the process will ignore the calories from other foods and drinks that you will consume during and after your drink.