Alcohol and weight.

Alcohol is relatively high in calories and naturally may cause weight gain. But epidemiological studies haven't provided consistent evidence of that relationship, particularly when studies looked at moderate drinking.
A recent study, published in Archives of Internal Medicine showed that normal-weight middle-aged to older women who drank from 5 to 30 grams of alcohol daily (the equivalent of a glass or two of wine), gained less weight and had a lower risk of becoming overweight or obese compared with those who didn't drink or drank too much.
Seeing many women with obesity in my practice, I agree with this trend. Most overweight and obese women do not like alcohol at all or claim to have only several drinks in a year year.
In the same study, the same wasn’t true for men. Hallelujah! For a change, something was better for women compared to men! Could this stem from the way men and women metabolize the alcohol? The more likely explanation is that men add alcohol to their daily dietary intake, while female drinkers substitute alcohol for other foods without increasing total energy intake, the researchers said. Women who drank alcohol had a lower energy intake from non-alcohol sources, particularly carbohydrates. In regards to calories, one glass of red wine has the same amount of calories as the 100% grape juice and about 20 calories more than apple or orange juice. It is certainly not just the amount of calories.
But for now, if you’re a middle age or older woman and are enjoying a glass of wine, do not have a guilt feeling in regards to calories from the wine. Mild to moderate drinking was previously shown to benefit the heart and prevent diabetes, but this is the first study showing the benefit in regards to weight. Cheers!
Dr M