They however noted that about half of the obese participants gained weight, with the largest weight gain being 1.8 kg [48]. In a randomized crossover study, Cordain et al. [49] found that drinking two glasses of red wine (270 mL) with dinner daily for six weeks did not lead to changes in weight or body fat percentage in 14 men. Also, Beulens et al. [51] reported similar results in 34 male adults with large WC, consuming 450 mL of red wine per day for 4 weeks, compared to consuming alcohol-free wine for the same time period. Biceps skin fold was the only anthropometric measurement that was increased in their participants after the beer drinking condition [52].
Does Alcohol Cause Weight Gain? It’s Complicated.
- Drinking too much wine can cause you to consume more calories than you burn, which can lead to weight gain.
- Now if you’ve ever read anything I’ve written here, you’ll know that I don’t think moderation works for most people.
- Drinking alcohol can significantly increase your weight depending on how many calories an alcoholic beverage has.
- Alcohol is known to lower inhibitions, impairing the logical decision-making sections of your brain like the prefrontal cortex.
Alcohol consumption can also interfere with your digestive system. It may slow down the digestion process and cause temporary gastrointestinal disturbances such as gas or constipation. These disruptions contribute to a feeling of heaviness and can make your weight measurement a bit higher than usual. I’ve always gone with my heart, so I’m sticking with my glass-or-two-a-day habit.
- Dr. Sengupta shares some of the not-so-obvious effects that alcohol has on your body.
- The slow development of obesity and multi-faceted nature of this condition really complicates the possibility to show a cause-and-effect association between alcohol consumption and weight gain.
- The exact number of calories can vary widely by drink and serving size.
- While the calories in one glass of wine don’t seem like a lot, a few glasses pack over 300 calories and a bottle has upwards of 600 calories.
How Does Alcohol Cause Weight Gain & How Can I Stop it?
Persistent high alcohol consumption, however, increases the risk of chronic gastritis, which involves stomach ulcers. “Consuming too many calories — whether from alcohol, sugary foods or just a lot does alcohol make you gain weight of extra food — can lead to extra belly fat,” Dr. Allan says. And because an average can of beer runs you more than 150 calories, it doesn’t take long for the calories (and the belly) to build.
The health risks of having a beer belly
All of the available studies have examined moderate intake of alcohol, and the majority have reported results on beer and wine intake, but not other forms of alcohol [3•, 5]. Crouse and Grundy [48] looked at the effect of adding 630 kcal/day of alcohol to the diets of 12 men in a metabolic unit. There were no significant changes in weight for normal weight participants over the four-week intervention study.
Alcohol Intake and Obesity: Experimental Evidence
Eventually, you can develop permanent and irreversible scarring in your liver, which is called cirrhosis. “Some people think of the effects of alcohol as only something to be worried about if you’re living with alcohol use disorder, which was formerly https://ecosoberhouse.com/ called alcoholism,” Dr. Sengupta says. According to two studies published in 2021, a high intake of alcohol may increase food cravings. That means, even if you skip the sugary cocktail, there are still plenty of calories in your whiskey neat.
Alcohol has A LOT of calories.
