Women often begrudge men for being able to lose weight quicker. And while that is often the truth, there’s some news that you ladies can have fun rubbing in our noses. Apparently, women gain less weight from drinking alcohol than men. But, I guess purely from an anecdotal perspective, we’ve probably noticed this all along. Guys get beer guts, ladies generally, not so much.
But, here is the real kicker: A new study suggests that women who drink moderately actually gain less than those ladies who don’t even drink at all. The study found that the risk of becoming overweight or obese actually falls as alcohol consumption rises. Factors such as smoking, physical activity, and the consumption of fruits and vegetables were also taken into account.
Now, here comes the part that got me a little (OK, a lot) jealous: According to the study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, women who consumed between 1.5 and three drinks a day had a 27 to 61 percent lower risk of becoming overweight or obese than women who did not drink.
As would be expected, the researchers cautioned people to take the findings with a grain of salt, since alcohol affects everyone differently. The party line in health expert circles is that women should limit their daily alcohol consumption to one drink, and men to two drinks. (I guess, this is another way we men luck out.)
If you don’t drink, don’t look at this as an invitation to start to imbibe.
“It won’t change recommendations for my patients, I can say that for certain,” says Scott Kahan, M.D., the co-director of the George Washington University Weight Management Program, in Washington, D.C. “If you don’t drink, there’s no reason to start.”
“I think [the study] suggests that there’s no need to quit or avoid alcohol if it’s something you enjoy.” Dr. Kahan adds.
(via: CNN)
