Moderate Drinking Is Not Associated with Increased Weight Gain among Women

The literature on the relationship between alcohol consumption and weight gain is limited, and the results have been inconsistent. Researchers conducted a prospective cohort study among 19,220 US women aged 39 or older who had a baseline BMI within the normal range (18.5 to <25) and who were free of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes mellitus. Alcohol consumption was also assessed at baseline, and body weight was self-reported at baseline and on 8 annual follow-up questionnaires. Results were adjusted for age, baseline BMI, smoking status, nonalcohol energy intake, physical activity, and other lifestyle and dietary factors.

• Over 13 years of follow-up, 41% of women became overweight (BMI ≥25), and 3.8% became obese (BMI ≥30).

• There was an inverse association between baseline alcohol consumption and weight gain. The relative risks (RRs) of becoming overweight or obese across total alcohol intake were as follows:
  • − 0 g per day, 1.00
  • − 0–<5 g per day, 0.96
  • − ≥5–<15 g per day, 0.86
  • − ≥15–<30 g per day, 0.70
  • − ≥30 g per day, 0.73
• The corresponding RR of becoming obese were as follows:
  • − 0 g per day, 1.00
  • − 0–<5 g per day, 0.75
  • − ≥5–<15 g per day, 0.43
  • − ≥15–<30 g per day, 0.39
  • − ≥30 g per day, 0.29

Comments:

In this well-done analysis, women who consumed between 5 and 30 g of alcohol per day (up to about 2½ typical US drinks) had a lower risk of becoming overweight or obese than women who abstained, with the risk about 30% lower for those averaging ≥15 g of alcohol per day. Moderate drinkers showed an even greater reduction in the risk of becoming obese. These findings support previous research suggesting that women who consume moderate amounts of alcohol are less likely to gain weight over time than nondrinkers. The mechanism for such an effect, and whether a similar inverse association occurs among men, remains unclear.

R. Curtis Ellison, MD

Reference:

Wang L, Lee IM, Manson JE, et al. Alcohol consumption, weight gain, and risk of becoming overweight in middle-aged and older women. Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(5):453–61.