A Little Red Wine May Improve a Woman’s Waistline

Women who drink red wine not only gain heart-healthy benefits, but weight benefits as well. In fact, according to researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, light to moderate alcohol consumption in general can lead to a trimmer waistline for women. The results of their study were recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Although consumption of red wine seemed to provide the best results, white wine, beer, and spirits also offered some weight checking benefits. Dr. Lu Wang of the division of preventive medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital said that the study results revealed that middle-aged to older women who were generally of normal body weight were better able to maintain their weight when compared to women who did not drink alcohol. Previous studies have indicated that drinking alcohol in moderation can be healthy however the new study is the first to look at moderate alcohol consumption as it relates to weight gain or loss in individual having a normal weight.

For their study, the researchers followed 20,000 slim women who were middle-aged and older. Around 38 percent of the women were not drinkers, while about 33 percent drank less than 5 grams daily. Another 20 percent drank between five and 15 grams daily, with six percent consuming between 15 and 30 grams per day, and three percent drank 30 grams or more daily. As a reference, a 12-ounce light beer contains about 11 grams of alcohol, while a one ounce shot of 80-proof whiskey contains about 14 grams, and 5 ounces of red wine contain 15 to 16 grams of alcohol.

Over an average of about 13 years, although in general the women gained weight, those who drank a moderate amount of alcohol gained less weight, and were less likely to become overweight than those who did not drink. The results held true even after accounting for lifestyle and dietary factors that could have an effect on a woman’s weight, suggesting that alcohol may independently affect body weight. For example, women who drank moderately higher amounts of alcohol were commonly more physically active, weighed slightly less, and were more likely to be smokers, yet the results remained the same when accounting for these factors.

Those women who consumed 30 grams of alcohol or more every day gained about 3.4 pounds, while non-drinking women gained an average of 8 pounds. During the study period, a total of 41 percent of the women became overweight or obese, but women who consumed between 15 and 30 grams daily were found to have the lowest risk of becoming overweight or obese, which was equivalent to 30 percent less of a likelihood than non-drinkers. Wang explained that a trim non-drinking woman had a 43 percent chance of becoming overweight or obese over 13 years, while her risk decreased to 33 percent if she drank between 15 and 30 grams of alcohol daily.

Why does moderate alcohol consumption have a positive effect on maintaining weight? Prior studies have shown that women who drink more alcohol tend to consume fewer carbohydrates, and generally eat less. Wang also noted that studies have shown that women are more likely to burn more energy after drinking alcohol. According to the researchers, in contrast previous research suggests that the association seems to differ by sex. Men tend to add alcohol to their daily dietary intake, while female drinkers substitute alcohol for other foods without increasing total energy intake.