Exercise to Reduce Alcohol Cravings!

 

Yes – you heard that right – exercise has actually been proven to help people reduce or eliminate alcohol intake and mitigate alcohol dependence.    Multiple studies have proven that exercise is an effective adjunctive treatment for the treatment of alcoholism

For example, in a meta-analysis of 7 randomized controlled trials using exercise interventions for the treatment of alcoholism exercise was shown to significantly reduce alcohol consumption!  This included all forms of exercise such as aerobic and resistance training.

The effects of Fibroplast growth factor 21 (FGF21) on Alcohol Intake

FGF21 is a hormone released by the liver and muscle during exercise.

When FGF21 was given to mice and vervet monkeys addicted to alcohol - it reduced their alcohol intake by 50%.  FGF21 cross the blood-brain barrier and binds to receptors in the hypothalamus where it alters dopamine signaling which plays a prominent role in alcohol craving.

The liver releases FGF21 after alcohol intake with a significant increase in blood levels.

Studies have shown that FGF21 is elevated from aerobic exercise and peaks 60 minutes later than returns to baseline 2 hours later.

A Mouse Study showed that:

Mice that were unable to release FGF21 consumed more alcohol

Mice given an FGF21 analog decreased their alcohol consumption by 50%

Another study used Vervent Monkeys.  Vervent Monkeys fall into three subtypes as it relates to alcohol in a distribution seen in humans:

Alcohol avoiders who do NOT like alcohol

Moderate alcohol drinkers

Heavy drinkers who will consume alcohol until drunk

Monkeys given FGF21 reduced alcohol consumption

Collectively these studies suggest that FGF21 is involved in telling our brains whether to drink more alcohol or not and does so across at least two species studied and that increasing FGF21 may decrease alcohol consumption in humans as well.

Exercise also modulates the brain’s dopamine reward system as well as boosting Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF).   Low BDNF levels have been correlated with the severity of alcoholism in clinical studies of alcoholics!   In addition, regular alcohol use decreases BDNF and is associated with cognitive defects from alcohol consumption.