Food energy[edit]
Alcoholic beverages are a source of food energy. The USDA uses a figure of 6.93 kcal per gram of alcohol (5.47 kcal per ml) for calculating food energy.[38] In addition to alcohol, many alcoholic beverages contain carbohydrates. For example, beer usually contains 10-15 g of carbohydrates (40-60 kcal) per 12 fl.oz. However, aside from the direct effect of its caloric content, alcohol is known to potentiate the insulin response of the human body to glucose, which, in essence, "instructs" the body to convert consumed carbohydrates into fat and to suppress carbohydrate and fat oxidation.