People who drink a bottle of beer or small glass of wine each day are up to 25 per cent more likely to be obese, a study of 26million people has found.
Moderate drinking is often regarded as safe by health chiefs, who permit up to 14 units spread out over the week, the equivalent of ‘one a day’.
But the latest study suggests even this level of drinking, described as ‘light’ by South Korean researchers, can lead to health problems including obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.
The conditions together are known as metabolic syndrome, and the odds of being diagnosed rises in tandem with alcohol consumption, the study found.
Drinking more than the one large glass of wine or pint of full strength beer raised the odds of obesity by up to 42 per cent in men.
Alcohol may lead to weight gain because of the mixers it is served with, which pile on hundreds of calories in one sitting. It can also contribute to a poor diet and interrupt sleep – both of which are key to a healthy lifestyle.
People who drink a bottle of beer or small glass of wine each day are up to 25 per cent more likely to be obese, a study of 26million people has found (stock image)
Lead author Dr Hye Jung Shin, of the National Medical Centre in Seoul, South Korea, said: ‘Even light alcohol intake is linked to metabolic syndrome.’
The study, presented at the virtual European and International Congress on Obesity, was based on over 14million men and 12million women in South Korea.
It is not clear how the researchers collected data on alcohol drinking habits because the findings have not been published in a journal yet.
Other factors taken into account included people’s ages, exercise levels, smoking history and income.
The team defined one standard drink as 14g of alcohol. In the UK, this would almost amount to around two units of alcohol, as one unit is 8g.
British men and women are women advised not to exceed two units each day, the equivalent of one typical drink – a pint of low-strength beer, a 330ml bottle, a standard (175ml) glass of wine or two shots of spirit.
The World Health Organization sits in the middle, defining one standard drink as 10g of pure ethanol.
Dr Shin and colleagues analysed two years of data from the Korean National Health Insurance System collected in 2015 and 2016 to see who had been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome.
Dr Shin said: ‘There was a significant correlation between alcohol consumption and obesity after adjusting for age, exercise, smoking and income in this population – as well as between alcohol consumption and metabolic syndrome.
‘Both men and women who consumed a higher quantity of alcohol had higher odds for obesity. The same results are observed for metabolic syndrome.’
Men who downed an average of 7.1 to 14g of alcohol per day (one or two UK units) were ten per cent more prone to obesity and metabolic syndrome compared to those who didn’t drink.
It’s the equivalent to half to a full pint of beer or cider or half to a full small glass of wine by UK standards.
Consuming 14.1g to 24g a day (two to three UK units) raised the odds by 22 and 25 per cent, respectively.
This could be anything between a small glass of wine to a large glass, or a pint of low strength beer to a pint of high strength beer.
The highest risk was seen in men who drank more than two drinks or 24g alcohol per day, with 34 per cent higher odds of obesity and 42 per cent greater odds of metabolic syndrome.
Similar trends were identified in women – although the odd tipple was protective against metabolic syndrome.
An average of 7.1-14g of alcohol a day raised the risk of obesity by nine per cent – but reduced the odds of metabolic syndrome by three per cent – compared to non-drinkers.
Women who supped on average 14.1 to 24g of alcohol a day were 22 and 18 per cent more likely to develop obesity and metabolic syndrome, respectively.
Dr Shin said: ‘Consuming more than half a standard alcoholic drink a day is associated with an increased risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome in both men and women – and the risk rises in proportion with alcohol intake.’
He added: ‘Our results suggest the risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome increases in proportion to alcohol consumption when male and female adults drink more than half a standard drink per day.’
The findings further muddy the waters over whether people should be advised to enjoy a daily tipple.
Just this year scientists advising the US government said American men should cut back on their alcohol and stick to just one small glass of beer or wine a day.
For 30 years, men have been advised to limit their drinks to two a day, while women should keep it to one, but experts say that should be scrapped in light of evidence that shows two drinks a day moderately increases the risk of death compared with one.
Moderate drinking, considered to be around one drink a day, seems to be good for the heart and circulatory system, and has been shown to protect against type 2 diabetes and gallstones, Harvard Health reports.
But at the same time, heavy and binge drinking is a major cause of preventable death in most countries.
Alcohol consumption accounts for approximately 100,000 deaths annually in the US and around 10,000 people in the UK, according to figures.
Alcohol takes its toll on the liver, increasing blood pressure and damaging heart muscles. It’s also linked to several cancers and can be the catalyst for accidents.
Time and time again, alcohol’s two-faced nature has shown up in research.
Earlier this year a study found men and women who did were up to 40 per cent more likely to make it to 90 than those who were teetotal – or rarely touched booze.
The age-extending effects were confined to those who stuck to one drink a day.
Binge drinkers still died earlier, the findings from Maastricht University Medical Centre in The Netherlands, published in Age and Ageing, found.
Some experts say a small amount of alcohol fuels antioxidants that destroy free radicals – harmful chemicals that can lead to potentially fatal illnesses.
However, an analysis of hundreds of studies, involving 28million people, found going teetotal was more protective.
The University of Washington team estimated one drink a day increased the risk of one of 23 alcohol-related health problems by 0.5 per cent.
This rose to seven per cent for those who consumed two drinks a day – and soared to 37 per cent for those who downed five, according to the findings published in The Lancet in August 2018.
Scientists have claimed even consuming alcohol within weekly ‘low-risk’ guidelines can harm one’s health — and even cause hospitalisation or death.
Researchers from Canada warned in June that moderate drinkers are not ‘insulated from harm’.
They account for significant numbers of alcohol-related issues. For example, their investigation found that 50 per cent of cancer deaths resulting from alcohol use in British Columbia occurred among moderate drinkers.
In the UK, low-risk drinking is classified as six pints of beer spread out over the week, whereas Canada’s guidelines would allow nine pints.