Red Wine Consumption May Help Keep Weight and Belly Fat Off

A daily glass of red wine may help keep weight and belly fat in check, according to a new evidence review by researchers at Spain’s University of Navarra.

The authors analyzed data from 31 epidemiological studies, which reveal associations between foods in people’s diets and their health, without proving a cause-effect relationship. In all of the studies, researchers had collected information on people’s alcohol consumption and body mass index.

Drinking one or two ounces of unsweetened alcohol per day might not cause much weight gain, while sweetened drinks – or drinking any alcohol to excess – cause greater concern.

As the authors wrote, “… light-to-moderate alcohol intake, especially wine intake, may be more likely to protect against weight gain, whereas consumption of spirits [is linked to] weight gain.” Many of the studies linked greater body weight or abdominal adiposity (belly fat) among heavy or binge drinkers.