Drinking a little alcohol may help women stay thin.A study finds that non-drinkers tended to gain more weight, although the reasons are not yet clear.
A recent survey found that women who drank one to two drinks a day were less likely to gain weight, in fact they were 30 percent less likely than teetotalers.
“The results of our study show that women in midlife and older who had a normal body weight at the beginning and who consumed moderate amounts of alcohol and light could maintain their drinking habit without adding more weight, compared with women Similar who did not drink any alcohol, “said study author Dr. Lu Wang, an epidemiologist at the division of preventive medicine at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Previous tests on the health benefits of alcohol show mixed results. Some research found that men and to a lesser degree, women who drank moderately long period had a lower risk of heart disease.
However, another study found that drinking even moderately could increase the risk of breast cancer, liver and other women.
Wang and his colleagues tracked 19.220 women of 39 years and older for an average of thirteen. All participants began the study with a normal body mass index.
Although on average, women tended to gain weight as time passed, the non-drinkers were the most increased. The amount of weight gained was reduced with increasing alcohol consumption, the study found.
The researchers said they could not draw conclusions about because there were few heavy drinkers in the study, and because these women tend to smoke, indicating they had very different lifestyles other contestants.
They may have several reasons to explain the findings, including the ways in which women metabolize alcohol compared with men.
Also, the researchers said that women tend to substitute alcohol for other foods, while men just add alcohol to ingest anything.
“The impact of alcohol consumption on body weight should be considered in the context of caloric balance,” said Wang “Among women, those with moderate regular consumption of alcohol ingested and slightly fewer calories from non-alcoholic.
In addition, alcohol intake tends to promote increased energy expenditure that goes beyond the calorie content of alcohol consumed by women. Overall, regular consumption of mild to moderate alcohol could lead to a net loss of energy among women.
Marianne Grant, a registered dietitian and health educator at the Center for Coastal Bend Health Education Center Health Sciences Texas A & M, said “it is possible that women with a healthy weight are not as efficient in the metabolism of alcohol .
“However, as always, the message is to enjoy alcohol in moderation,” he said. “It’s nice to see it as a way to lose weight. The cornerstone of healthy eating remain the same.
Tags: Benefits of alcohol, Drinking a little alcohol, Stay thin, Weight
