September 05: Sugar content in alcohol has long been considered to add body weight with a review of earlier studies finding no clear link but a new research at Navarra University in Spain suggests that while heavy drinkers put on fat, moderate alcohol intake, especially of wine may protect against rather than promote weight gain.

Academics say previous assumptions about a link between alcohol and obesity have been inaccurate. Their analysis of previous research shows that although heavy drinkers are likely to put on weight, those who just enjoy an occasional drink do not. 

In fact, connoisseurs of less fattening drinks such as wine may even lose weight as well as being at lower risk of developing diabetes, according to the report in the Telegraph.“Light-to-moderate alcohol intake, especially wine intake, may be more likely to protect against weight gain, whereas consumption of spirits has been positively associated with weight gain,” says the paper by researchers at Navarro University in Spain. The research has been reviewed by the International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research.

The paper, published in the journal Nutrition Reviews, states that “alcohol consumption can lead to weight gain” as 1 gram of alcohol has an energy content of 7.1 calories. But analysis of 31 studies published between 1984 and 2010 found they were “contradictory” and did not “conclusively confirm” a link between drinking and weight gain.

The papers that did find a link tended to involve studies of heavy drinking, so the Spanish researchers suggest: “It is possible that heavy drinkers may experience such an effect more commonly than light drinkers.” They say more research should be carried out into the role of “different types of alcoholic beverages”. 

Members of the forum agree: “While it is common for individuals, especially women, to state that they avoid all alcohol consumption because they do not want to gain weight, data are very limited on this subject. These results suggest that the frequent consumption of small amounts of alcohol is the optimal drinking pattern associated with a lower risk of obesity.”

Other research has suggested that moderate drinkers are at 30 per cent lower risk of developing diabetes, and that even obese people should not abstain from alcohol for this reason. Moderate drinkers have also been found to be at between 16 per cent and 25 per cent lower risk of developing metabolic syndrome, which in turn makes them more likely to have a stroke or coronary artery disease, according to the research.