Alcohol beverage drinking, diet and body mass index in a cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Objective: The study was carried out to determine the associations of alcohol beverage drinking with macronutrients, antioxidants, and body mass index. Setting: Dietary subsample of the 1992 Finmonica cardiovascular risk factor survey in Finland; a cross-sectional study. Subjects: 985 women and 863 men were drawn from the population register in the four monitoring areas. All subjects were 25±64 y of age. Methods: The mailed questionnaire included questions covering socioeconomic factors, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol consumption. The diet was assessed using a three-day food record. Results: The dietary differences between abstainers and alcohol consumers were more signi®cant than between consumers of different alcoholic beverages. Among drinkers, fat intake as a percentage of energy was higher and carbohydrate intake was lower than among abstainers. Those who preferred wine, however, had the highest vitamin C intake; female wine drinkers also had the highest carotenoid intake. With the exception of those who mainly preferred spirits, alcohol energy was not added to the diet but seemed to substitute food items both in men and women. Despite the similar total daily energy intakes, daily energy expenditure, and physical activity index, male drinkers were leaner than abstainers. In women, the proportion of underreporters of energy intake increased with increasing alcohol consumption, and the association between alcohol and body mass index was similar to that in men after the exclusion of underreporters. Conclusions: Alcohol consumers were leaner than abstainers, and wine drinkers in particular had more antioxidants in their diet.

Influence of alcohol consumption and various beverages on waist girth and waist-to-hip ratio in a sample of French men and women

“…The common belief, supported by a number of epidemiological studies, is that drinking beer promotes abdominal fat distribution 14 and that wine, in contrast, has no effect 5 or is associated with lower WHR. 17 One limitation to these studies is that they were conducted in the US 14,17 or Finland, 5 where beer is a major source of alcohol and wine consumption is more prevalent in educated people. Such cultural and educational differences are likely to be important sources of confusion.…”

Alcohol intake in relation to body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio: the importance of type of alcoholic beverage

“…However, one study suggested a J-shaped relationship, with the highest level of alcohol intake associated with an increase in BMI 2 . In men, some studies have not found any relationship between alcohol consumption and BMI 2,10,22 , but others showed either a positive association 12,19,23,24 or an inverse one 19,20 . A J-shaped relationship was reported in non-smoking men; non-drinkers and subjects with a daily intake $ 36 g dl 21 had a higher body weight than moderate drinkers 25 .…”

“…In a cohort of American people, BMI tended to increase with spirits intake in men only and was associated with neither beer nor wine 2 . In Finland, spirit drinkers were also shown to be heavier than other alcohol consumers 20 . In a cohort of Swedish women, BMI was inversely related to wine consumption, while beer and spirits did not show any significant relationships to BMI 16 .…”

Beer, Carbohydrates and Diet

“…It is suggested that, as ethanol is converted to acetate, the latter inhibits fat breakdown 14 . However, moderate ethanol drinkers (less than 50 g per day) actually show weight loss 13,20 . It is believed that ethanol induces an increase in the sensitivity of muscle to insulin with a down-regulation of the effect of insulin on adipose tissue, so fat mass decreases 19 .…”