This may call for a toast.
Healthy-weight women who drink a light to
moderate amount of alcohol -- no more than two servings a day of red
wine, white wine, beer or liquor -- tend to gain less weight over time
than non-drinkers, says a study in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine.
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in
Boston studied the alcohol consumption of more than 19,000 women, who
started out at healthy weights. Over an average of 13 years of
follow-up, most women packed on pounds.
Those who consumed a light to moderate amount of
alcohol gained less weight and were less likely to become overweight or
obese than women who drank no alcohol.
"Women who drink moderate amounts of alcohol
tend to eat less food, particularly carbohydrates," says cardiologist
Lu Wang, lead researcher on the study and an instructor at Brigham and
Women's Hospital.
But a word of caution: Excessive alcohol
consumption can be associated with serious medical and psychosocial
problems, she says. "Women still need to eat healthy and exercise
regularly for optimal health."
News release courtesy of USAtoday.com.
