United States: Bottoms up: More important, perhaps, a person’s choice in alcohol may indicate something about his or her life, says new research.
People focused on beer have a higher risk of an unhealthy lifestyle than people who consume wine or spirits, researchers say.
These experts said that regular beer consumers tend to have worse diets, sit less, and smoke more than those who take wine, spirits, or a blend of both, as reported by HealthDay.
Implications for Liver Health
Those lifestyle factors can go a long way for people who are already imbibing and likely to get liver disease, according to the main study author, Dr. Madeline Novack.
“Alcohol overuse is the leading cause of [liver] cirrhosis in the U.S., and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease [MASLD] is rapidly increasing,” said Novack, chief resident of Tulane School of Medicine’s internal medicine residency program.
“Both types of liver disease often coexist, and lifestyle changes are key to managing and preventing these conditions, starting with understanding the link between alcohol use and poor nutrition,” Novack added in a Tulane news release.
Findings on Alcohol Preferences and Lifestyle
In the present study, cross-sectional data from national surveys of 1,900 alcohol-consuming US adults were subjected to investigation. The respondents were able to provide concrete responses to questions about their dietary patterns.
39% of respondents said they are beer drinkers. In comparison, 22% identified themselves as wine drinkers, 18 percent as liquor drinkers, and the remaining 21% are those who occasionally indulge in both beer and wine, according to the researchers.
Not one of the drinkers met the 80-point threshold that defines an adequately healthy diet according to the 100-point Healthy Eating Index.
Self-rated health was lowest for beer-only drinkers at 49, wine drinkers at 55, and those who prefer liquor or a combination of beer, wine, and liquor at almost 53, the researchers said.
Beer consumers also stated that total daily per capita calorie intake was high, while physical activity was low.
Alcohol, Food Pairings, and Diet Quality
The differences in diet could, therefore, be explained by which foods are usually taken together with different kinds of alcohol, according to Novack.
Beer is usually accompanied by low-fiber, high-carbohydrate foods with processed meats. However, Novack said that wine is associated with food that contains meat, vegetables, and some types of dairy products.
It also might be that some foods stimulate a person’s desire to drink specific types of alcoholic beverages, Novack continued. For instance, foods prepared through frying or by adding salt, etc., might lead to a thirst for beer rather than wine or liquor, as reported by HealthDay.
Next Steps
The research is set to be delivered at the next year’s annual, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases in San Diego, on Wednesday.
