How is alcohol absorption affected by muscle mass?

• A. More muscular individuals will absorb more alcohol than those with a higher percentage of fat.
• B. More fat leads to greater absorption than more muscle.
• C. Muscle mass has no effect on absorption.
• D. Alcohol absorption is the same regardless of body composition.

Answer: (A)

Muscle mass affects how alcohol is handled in the body through total body water. Muscle tissue contains a lot of water, while fat contains relatively little. Because alcohol distributes in body water, people with more muscle have a larger volume into which the alcohol can spread. For the same amount of alcohol, this larger distribution volume dilutes the alcohol more, leading to a lower blood alcohol concentration (BAC) than someone with more fat.

In other words, higher muscle mass doesn’t increase the amount of alcohol entering the bloodstream; it increases the space in which the alcohol can be distributed, which lowers BAC. This is why body composition is linked to how intoxication levels rise, with leaner individuals (more muscle) tending to have a lower peak BAC than those with higher fat, given the same amount of alcohol.