Study: This is how differently beer, wine and schnapps affect body fat

Created: 01/16/2023, 11:12 am

By: Ulrike Hagen

Not all alcohol affects unhealthy body fat in the same way - a US study has identified the dangerous fattening drinks among them.

Ames/Iowa - At 7 calories per gram, alcohol isn't exactly a caloric lightweight.

But is the beer really to blame for the beer belly?

Or do other drinks also make you fat?

A US study published in the journal Obesity Science & Practice evaluated the data of many hundreds of people.

The result: Wine, beer and spirits actually have a different impact on the proportion of unhealthy body fat, as reported by

.

Does alcohol make you fat?

Beer, wine and liquor affect body fat differently, according to new US studies.

© Michael Bihlmayer/Imago

Study: Which alcohol affects body fat - and which doesn't

For their study, the researchers led by study leader Brittany Larsen from Iowa State University used the UK Biobank, a longitudinal biomedical database with genetic and health data from people in Great Britain.

1869 adults between the ages of 40 and 79 provided information on their alcohol habits, their diet and their lifestyle.

Then everyone's height and weight were measured, blood samples were taken and a body fat analysis was carried out.

Subsequently, the relationships between preferred alcoholic beverages and body fat composition were calculated.

Beer, wine and liquor affect body fat differently

"Three beers are also a meal," says the colloquial flippantly.

Few realize how close that comes to the truth.

Because three large beers have around 600 kilocalories, which is actually equivalent to lunch.

Alcohol has a similarly high energy content as fat.

At around seven calories per gram, this is very close to that of fat, which has nine calories per gram. So it's no wonder that the scientists found clear connections.

Study proves a clear connection: high alcohol consumption increases body fat percentage

In general, the researchers found that higher alcohol consumption was associated with higher amounts of visceral fat - fat deposits in the abdomen around organs - and subcutaneous fat - fat in the subcutaneous tissue.

An alarming observation given that the

WHO has already sounded the alarm because the majority of people in Europe are overweight.

But that wasn't all: there were clear differences - depending on what type of alcohol the study participants preferred to drink.

Alcohol calorie table at a glance: These are the calorie bombs among the drinks

• Glass of sparkling wine (0.1 l): 80 kcal

• Glass of Prosecco (0.1 l): 83 kcal

• Small glass/small bottle of beer (0.3 l): 129 kcal

• Bottle of Altbier (0.33 l): 161 kcal

• Berliner Weisse (0.5 l): 255 kcal

• Bottle of bock beer (0.5 l): 275 kcal

• Bottle of wheat beer (0.5 l): 230 kcal

• Bottle of Pils (0.33 l): 118.8 kcal

• Radler (0.5 l): 210 kcal

• Glass of red wine (0.1 l): 67 kcal

• Glass of white wine (0.1 l): 60 kcal

• Vodka or clearer brandy (2 cl): 43 kcal

• Herbal liqueur (4 cl): 100 kcal

• Vodka Orange (0.2L): 122 kcal

• Gin and tonic (0.2 l): 140 kcal

• Rum-Cola/Cuba Libre (0.2 l): 168 kcal

• Caipirinha (0.3 L)322 kcal

• Cosmopolitan (0.2 l): 98 kcal

• Pina Colada (0.4L): 367 calories

• Tequila Sunrise (0.4L): 360 calories

• Daiquiri (0.13L): 121 calories

• Mai Tai (0.33L): 290 calories

• Zombie (0.25 l): 350 kcal

• Mojito (0.25L): 152 calories

• Source: www.kenn-dein-limit.info

Researchers warn: Consumption of beer and liquor promote particularly unhealthy belly fat

The study shows that beer and spirits consumption is associated with increased levels of visceral fat, the harmful fat associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and other health complications.

Alcohol not only increases the risk of developing cancer, as the alcohol atlas 2022 shows.

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Wine consumption, on the other hand, shows no such connection and - depending on the type of wine consumed - can even have a protective effect against harmful fat: "We found that drinking red wine is associated with lower levels of visceral fat," explains Brittany larsen 

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And while drinking white wine didn't affect the amount of dangerous abdominal fat, the study showed that consuming white grape juice in moderation may have a health benefit of its own for older adults: thicker bones.

"In our study, we found higher bone mineral density in older adults who drank white wine in moderation," Larsen said.

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"Alcohol has long been implicated as a possible contributor to the obesity epidemic"

For study author and PhD student in nutritional neuroscience Britanny Larsen, however, the study primarily makes a decisive contribution to containing and preventing obesity: “Alcohol has long been regarded as a possible factor in the obesity epidemic.

However, the public often hears conflicting information about the potential risks and benefits of alcohol.

Therefore, we hoped to unravel some of these factors through our research.”

And she has other ambitious plans: “Our goal is to continue to work out the specific risks and benefits associated with each type of alcohol.

Next, we will examine how diet — including alcohol consumption — might affect brain disorders and cognitive abilities in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.”