# Alcohol vs Dessert

**URL:** <https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/alcohol-vs-dessert/7473>\
**Category:** Nutrition Q&A \[Moderated\]\
**Created:** [November 14, 2019, 10:16pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/alcohol-vs-dessert/7473 "2019-11-14T22:16:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![lobeless](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.barbellmedicine.com/lobeless/32/596_2.png) [@lobeless](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/lobeless)\
**Post date:** [November 14, 2019, 10:16pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/alcohol-vs-dessert/7473/1 "2019-11-14T22:16:05Z")

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Hi,

What would be the difference If I drink 300 calories of alcohol (no mixer, straight Gin lets say), or if I have 300 calories of a sweet dessert (like ice cream or cake as an example)?

From a health standpoint would one be better?  
From a weight loss standpoint which one would be better?

_For health_

- Recently there was a study that claimed that no amount of alcohol is healthy  
[No Amount Of Alcohol Is Good For Your Health, Global Study Says : NPR](https://www.npr.org/2018/08/24/641618937/no-amount-of-alcohol-is-good-for-your-health-global-study-claims)
- But sugar has also been said to be inflammatory, but isn’t alcohol just sugar anyway?

_for weight loss_  
Is a calorie a calorie? Does Alcohol affect your metabolism adversely or does the insulin spike of a cake affect my metabolism the same way?

Basically, if it’s a Friday night and I’m going to unwind. Should I get a glass of booze or a bowl of Ice cream, or does it even matter?  
I tried researching this on the internet but I can’t find a straight answer without a ridiculous amount of mitigating factors.

Thanks so much for your wealth of knowledge!  
-Rob

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**Author:** ![Jordan\_Feigenbaum](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.barbellmedicine.com/jordan_feigenbaum/32/1315_2.png) [@Jordan\_Feigenbaum](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/Jordan_Feigenbaum)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 4:03am UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/alcohol-vs-dessert/7473/2 "2019-11-15T04:03:20Z")

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Rob,

1. That’s about 3 drinks of gin using the US drink size of 1.5 fl oz. That’s over the recommended intake of 1-2 drinks per day, so that would probably be less health-promoting. I
2. A calorie is a calorie, yes.  
2a) Everything that’s not pure fat spikes insulin. Insulin spikes are short term and don’t really have anything to do with the obesity epidemic (or diabetes).
3. It largely doesn’t matter outside the context of your dietary patterns, e.g. calories, fiber intake, etc.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![lobeless](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.barbellmedicine.com/lobeless/32/596_2.png) [@lobeless](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/u/lobeless)\
**Post date:** [November 15, 2019, 3:07pm UTC](https://forum.barbellmedicine.com/t/alcohol-vs-dessert/7473/3 "2019-11-15T15:07:01Z")

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Thank you for the information! You guys are always so clear I really appreciate it. I was going with a rough Estimate 100 calories an ounce but that makes sense.