The Surgeon General Calls for New Warning Labels on Alcohol Heres the Truth About How It Impacts Your Health

Use of this website and any information contained herein is governed by the Healthgrades User Agreement. More research is needed to fully understand how much alcohol may affect weight and why it may do this. Alcohol — the intoxicating ingredient found in beer, wine, and liquor — is produced by the fermentation of grains, fruits, or other sources of sugar. It’s also important for women who are trying to get pregnant, or who are pregnant or breastfeeding, to reduce or cut out alcohol altogether. Join LifeMD today and experience amazing healthcare, discounted labs and prescription medications… While alcohol may initially help you fall asleep, it interferes with deeper stages of sleep, reducing sleep quality and leaving you feeling fatigued.

Spirit-Based Drinks

Cortisol is the stress hormone in your body responsible for the “fight or flight” response. Assuming you haven’t had an overly sugary brand of vino, you’ve just consumed 318 additional calories. StyleCraze believes in credibility and giving our readers access to authentic and evidence-based content. Our stringent editorial guidelines allow us to only cite from reputed research institutions, academic journals, and medically established studies. If you discover any discrepancy in our content, you may contact us. Reducing alcohol consumption can also help manage weight, along with a balanced diet and regular exercise.

Best nonalcoholic drinks and spirits

Bloating after drinking alcohol can result from gastritis — an inflammatory condition that affects the stomach — or gas. Regular alcohol consumption can also lead to weight gain, which may feel like bloating. Keeping well-hydrated is so important when consuming alcohol – for a variety of reasons. Aim to drink a glass of water between alcoholic beverages to reduce dehydration and help curb excessive drinking. This habit not only keeps the calories in check but also assists your body in metabolizing alcohol more efficiently. Quitting alcohol often means cutting down on extra calories from alcoholic drinks, which are notorious for their high-calorie content.

Does Drinking Wine Make You Gain Weight? Here’s The Truth!

Some people say alcohol consumption causes weight gain, and others say that’s a myth. Some even say drinking alcohol actually causes a decrease in weight. Drinking alcohol can contribute to increased body weight, as both alcohol and obesity negatively impact an individual’s body mass index (BMI), leading to a higher-than-healthy BMI.

Increased hunger and food cravings

It’s important to note that while quitting alcohol is a positive step for weight management, adopting a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and regular exercise further enhances the effectiveness of shedding belly fat. Speaking with a dietitian can be helpful to lower your body mass index and drop weight. Under the influence of alcohol, individuals may make less health-conscious food choices. Impaired judgment can lead to indulgence in high-calorie, unhealthy snacks and meals that contribute to weight gain over time. Drinking alcohol is a common practice in many parts of the world, and it can positively and negatively impact our health. But when alcohol consumption becomes excessive or uncontrolled, it can lead to addiction and serious health problems, such as weight gain.

FAQs about Alcohol Consumption and Weight Gain

There were no significant changes in weight for normal weight participants over the four-week intervention study. They however noted that about half of the obese participants gained weight, with the largest weight gain being 1.8 kg 48. In a randomized crossover study, Cordain et al. 49 found that drinking two glasses of red wine (270 mL) with dinner daily for six weeks did not lead to changes in weight or body fat percentage in 14 men. They noted that self-reported nutrient intake and physical activity did not differ between conditions, although there may have been dietary compensation that was https://northiowatoday.com/2025/01/27/sober-house-rules-what-you-should-know-before-moving-in/ not accurately reported by their 3-day food logs 49.

• In other words, elevated cortisol could contribute to weight gain, especially around the belly.
• We offer both inpatient and outpatient options depending on a client’s needs and severity of alcohol use disorder.
• Alcohol can also affect hunger levels, which may lead you to snack more, which then causes you to consume more calories, which ultimately may cause weight gain.
• StyleCraze believes in credibility and giving our readers access to authentic and evidence-based content.
• Cortisol plays an important role in helping to regulate blood sugar and fight inflammation in the body.

A 2021 review found that in women, drinking even a moderate amount of alcohol can increase the risk of hypertension. Keep reading to learn how alcohol can affect your blood pressure and cardiovascular health and which other factors may play a role. “We encourage all adults who choose to drink to adhere to the Dietary Guidelines and consult with their healthcare providers. No one should drink to achieve health benefits, and some people should not drink at all,” he said, adding that the organization supports the use of this study to inform the guidelines as Congress intended and as previously done. The new CNN poll finds a broad 74% majority of the US public would favor new alcoholic beverage labels warning about the risk of cancer like Murthy suggests. Democrats, women and people of color are especially likely to support a revision of the warning label, but 69% or more adults of all age, gender, partisan and racial groups said they would be in favor.

Establishing clear limits on alcohol intake is essential for successful weight management. Familiarize yourself with standard drink sizes and set a maximum number for a given occasion. This proactive approach aids in controlling calorie intake and minimizes the risk of overconsumption. Alcohol can disrupt metabolic processes, impacting the body’s ability to efficiently burn calories. This can contribute to weight gain, especially when alcohol is consumed regularly and in excess.

First, it has been found that alcohol intake increases energy expenditure, likely due in part to the fact that it sober house has a high thermogenic effect 53. It has also been suggested that some of the energy ingested as alcohol is ‘wasted’, due to the activation of the inefficient hepatic microsomal ethanol-oxidizing system (MEOS). The MEOS is induced through chronic alcohol intake, and the level of induction increases with increased intake 54, 67. Oxidation of alcohol via the MEOS produces less ATP than oxidation via alcohol dehydrogenase, using the energy from alcohol intake primarily to enhance heat production 37, 54. The extent to which wasted energy from regular alcohol consumption contributes to weight gain prevention is unclear. As with cross-sectional studies, the way by which alcohol intake is measured and categorized likely influences the interpretation of the results.