Drinking Alcohol and Weight, Obesity and BMI
Research involving over 37,000 non-smokers found that men and
women who consumed one alcoholic drink per day with the greatest
frequency (three to seven days per week) had the lowest body mass
index (BMI).
BMI is routinely used in medical research to measure leanness/fatness.
Lower BMI scores indicate leanness and higher scores indicate being
overweight. BMI is calculated by dividing an individual’s
weight in kilograms by height in meters squared.
Because smoking and drinking interact to influence weight, the
researchers limited their study to people who had never smoked so
they could focus entirely on the effects of alcohol itself on weigh.
Although frequent light/moderate drinkers were the leanest, infrequent
heavy drinkers were the most overweight. The results illustrate
the importance of light/moderate frequent drinking. For example,
consuming a drink every day for a week is associated with healthful
weight but drinking seven drinks one day per week is associated
with obesity.
Simply looking at the total quantity of alcohol consumed
over time obscures the importance of the pattern of alcohol
consumption. One or two drinks each day is associated with better
health and greater longevity whereas consuming the same quantity
(seven to fourteen drinks) once a week is associated with negative
health. The same quantity of alcohol can have either beneficial
or harmful consequences depending on the pattern of its consumption.
Obesity is a serious risk factor for numerous chronic illnesses
as well as early death.
The research was based on data collected from 1997 through 2001
as part of the National Health Interview Study (NHIS), a nationally
representative survey of the US population conducted annually by
the National Center for Health Statistics.
The researchers, both of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse
and Alcoholism (NIAAA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH),
published their findings in the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Reference:
- Breslow, R.A., and Smothers, B.A. Drinking pattern
and body mass index in never smokers: National Health Survey, 1997-2001.
American Journal of Epidemiology, 2005, 161(4),
368-376.
Additional Reading:
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to diet and obesity in women and men. American Journal of Clinical
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- Cordain, L., et al. Influence of moderate daily
wine consumption upon body weight regulation and metabolism in healthy
free living males. Journal of the American College of Nutrition,
1997, 16(2), 134-139
- Hellerstedt, W. L., et al. The association between
alcohol intake and adiposity in the general population. American
Journal of Epidemiology, 1990, 132(4), 594-611.
- Istvan, J., et al. The relationship between patterns
of alcohol consumption and body weight, International Journal
of Epidemiology, 1995, 24(3), 543-546.
- Jequier, E. Alcohol intake and body weight: a
paradox. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1999,
69, 173-174.
- Kahn, H. S., et al. Stable behaviors associated
with adults' 10-year change in body mass index and the likelihood
of gain at the waist. American Journal of Public Health,
1997, 87(5), 747-754.
- Klesges, R. C., et al. Effects of alcohol intake
on resting energy expenditure in young women social drinkers. American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1994, 59, 805-809.
- Landis, W. E. M.. Alcohol and energy intake.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1995, 62(suppl.),
11015-11068.
- Liu, S., et al. A prospective study of alcohol
intake and change in body weight among US adults. American Journal
of Clinical Nutrition, 1994, 140(10), 912-920.
- Mannisto, E., et al. Reported alcohol intake,
diet and body mass index in male smokers. European Journal of
Clinical Nutrition, 1996, 50, 239-245.
- Mannisto, S., et al. Alcohol beverage drinking,
diet and body mass index in a cross-national survey, European
Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1997, 151, 326-332.
- Prentice, A. M. Alcohol and obesity. International
Journal of Obesity, 1995, 19(Suppl. 5), S44-S50.