Small Amounts of Alcohol Reduce Obesity
Reported December 5, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Having an alcoholic drink on a regular basis may guard against obesity. A study published this week shows consuming one to two drinks a few times a week reduces the risk of becoming obese. Consuming more alcohol, however, increases the risk of becoming obese.
Researchers from Texas Tech University Health Science Center in Lubbock, Texas, and the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minn., analyzed data from 8,236 surveys. On the surveys patients were asked questions concerning their drinking habits. Researchers also measured the body mass index of all the respondents.
Results show the odds of being overweight or obese were significantly higher among binge or heavy drinkers — meaning they consumed four or more drinks a day.
“In contrast, light-to-moderate drinking [consuming one to two drinks per day] was associated with lower odds of overweight and obesity,” write the authors.
The researchers say they would not suggest non-drinkers should start drinking as a way to control weight. They do suggest, however, that the evidence reported argues against a strategy of promoting complete abstention.
More research needs to be done help scientists understand why moderate use of alcohol has a positive effect on health, say the researchers.
SOURCE: BMC Public Health 2005,5:126