Change in Alcohol Intake in Relation to Weight Change in a Cohort of US Men with 24 Years of Follow‐Up

Abstract

Objective We sought to prospectively investigate potential effects of alcohol by subtype on reported long-term weight change. Methods We examined change in alcohol intake (total, wine, light beer, regular beer, liquor) and simultaneous change in reported body weight within four-year periods from 1986 to 2010 from U.S. men in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study. We adjusted for age, change in lifestyle and dietary covariates and cardiovascular risk factors. Results We observed 44,603 four-year periods from 14,971 men. Total alcohol, total beer, regular beer, and liquor, modeled as the increase in weight per increase in drink/day, were each directly associated with moderate weight gain over four-year periods, in pounds: total alcohol: 0.23 (0.10–0.35); total beer: 0.29 (0.08–0.51); regular beer: 0.61 (0.22–1.00); liquor: 0.28 (0.09–0.48). Results for wine and light beer were wine: 0.16 (−0.04–0.36); light beer: −0.38 (−1.07–0.08). Results were strongest for men <55 years old. Conclusions Increased alcohol consumption was associated with minor reported weight gain at levels unlikely to be clinically meaningful. Beverage specific differences are not substantial enough to make dietary recommendations for weight loss or maintenance by beverage type. The greatest risk of weight gain was among men that increased consumption to levels well above moderation.

Alcohol Intake and Weight Loss During Intensive Lifestyle Intervention for Adults with Overweight or Obesity and Diabetes

“… 6 , 7 Consumption of alcohol is linked to disinhibited eating 8 and increased food intake, 9 , 10 possibly through neural mechanisms related to energy regulation. 8 , 11 Some studies have supported a relationship between increased alcohol consumption and higher body weight, 12 – 16 while others have suggested an inverse relation 17 or no association. 7 , 18 – 20 Possible reasons for these discrepancies include the use of self-reported height and weight, variable (and often short) follow-up, and inconsistent control for confounders such as smoking status.…”

Wine: An Aspiring Agent in Promoting Longevity and Preventing Chronic Diseases

“…Wine consumption did not affect weight change in patients with type 2 diabetes after initiating daily wine consumption for 2 years [ 32 , 43 ]. A cohort study in men also failed to show an association between wine consumption or increased wine consumption and weight change [ 44 ]. However, middle aged participants of the of increased body weight and waist circumference for middle-aged adults of the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study were less likely to have greater waist circumference and body weight when drinking low to moderate amounts of alcohol, including wine [ 45 ].…”

Eating and drinking habits and its association with obesity in Japanese healthy adults: retrospective longitudinal big data analysis using a health check-up database

“…Another systematic review revealed that a higher beer consumption (> 500 mL/day) might be associated with abdominal obesity (11) . Besides, a recent longitudinal study reported that increased alcohol consumption was associated with weight gain (12) . On the other hand, the evaluation between frequency of drinking alcoholic beverages and obesity is scarce.…”