Moderate Drinking Could Control Weight

A recent study conducted by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston shows that drinking alcohol on a regular basis may offer other health benefits in addition to those already known. The results of the study, which were published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, found that women who consumed a moderate amount of alcoholic beverages on a daily basis were less likely to become overweight during the twelve years they were observed. The women monitored during the course of the study were of normal weight, and the alcoholic beverages that were consumed included wine, beer, and liquor. Although moderate drinking can help to control a person’s weight, it is not suggested that one take up drinking just for this reason.

The published study included a group of more than 19,000 women who were of normal weight and who were 39 years of age or older. In an initial questionnaire, the participants were asked about their drinking habits. Almost half of the women surveyed reported that they did not drink at all, while the remaining women all drank at least two drinks per week. Six percent of the women reported that they consumed two alcoholic beverages per day. After many years of follow up observation, the women who drank no alcohol gained the most weight of the group, while the women who drank two drinks per day gained the least amount of weight.