effects of alcohol on athletic performance

background: alcohol is a substance that is consumed widely around the world. there are different interpretations regarding the effects of alcohol on athletic performance. today, alcohol is introduced as a contributing factor for increasing athletic performance by some sport clubs. methods: the purpose of this article is to investigate the effects of alcohol on athletic performance. pubmed, scopus, medline, and textbooks were reviewed. results: the effect of alcohol is different according to the dose, individual habits and duration of exercise. the main mechanisms of the effect of alcohol on athletic performance are: inadequate synthesis of hepatic glucose and impaired hepatic gluconeogenesis, even at low dose; alcohol can cause hypoglycemia and impair performance in prolonged exercise. impaired regulation of body temperature during exercise is also an effect of alcohol. the vasodilator effect of alcohol cause a drop in core body temperature and impair athletic performance. alcohol causes dehydration due to its diuretic effect. so, alcohol is not a good choice for rehydration after an exercise. impairment of glycogen re-synthesis after exercise is due to alcohol interaction with glycogen synthesis in the liver. psychological effects of alcohol impair reaction time, fine motor control, decision making, judgment and balance. conclusion: the result of this review does not show a positive effect of alcohol on athletic performance.