Drinking beer and spirits is linked to elevated levels of visceral fat – the harmful type of fat that is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, and other health complications – whereas drinking wine shows no such association with levels of this harmful fat and may even be protective against it, depending on the type of wine consumed.
That’s the finding of a new study published in Obesity Science & Practice journal.
The study also showed that moderate drinking of white wine was associated with higher bone mineral density in older adults.
It’s an important study because aging is often accompanied by an increase in the problematic fat that can lead to heightened cardiovascular disease risk as well as by a reduction in bone mineral density. This has important health implications given that nearly 75% of adults in the U.S. are considered overweight or obese. Having higher levels of body fat has been consistently linked to an increased risk for acquiring many different diseases, including cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and a higher risk of death. And it’s worth noting that national medical care costs associated with treating obesity-related diseases total more than US$260.6 billion annually.
The study relied on a large-scale longitudinal database called the U.K. Biobank. We assessed 1,869 white adults ranging in age from 40 to 79 years who reported demographic, alcohol, dietary and lifestyle factors via a touchscreen questionnaire. Next, height, weight and blood samples were collected from each participant. Body composition information was obtained by using a direct measure of body composition called dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Then, a statistical program examined the relationships among the types of alcoholic beverages and body composition.
When it comes to one being overweight or obesity, alcohol consumption may be a factor, the study says, adding that other studies haven’t found a clear link between weight gain and alcohol consumption.