The Effects of Alcohol Consumption on Obesity

The public has long been concerned about the association between alcohol consumption and weight gain, as all alcoholic beverages contain calories. This study described the effects on changes in weight associated with changes in alcohol intake over repeated 4-year periods among a large cohort of male health professionals who were followed for 24 years.

• Compared with non-drinkers, participants who consumed alcoholic beverages had increases in weight, mostly <0.5 pound over a 4-year period; these differences were significant for regular beer and liquor, but not for wine or light beer.
• The largest increases in weight (around 0.6 pounds) were observed among people increasing their alcohol intake by an average of ≥2 drinks/day.
• Participants decreasing their alcohol intake by 1-2 drinks/day over the 4-year period experienced a decrease in weight of around ≤0.5 pounds.

Comments: This is a very well-done analysis; adjustments were made for known potential confounders associated with changes in weight and appropriate sensitivity analyses were done. The study indicates that calories from alcohol are metabolized similarly to those from other foods and do have some effect on weight change.

R. Curtis Ellison, MD

Reference: Downer MK, Bertoia ML, Mukamal KJ, et al. Change in alcohol intake in relation to weight change in a cohort of US men with 24 years of follow-up. Obesity. 2017;25:1988–1996.