- Moderate drinking is defined as a beer a day for women and 1-2 beers a day for men.
- A daily drink can have some health benefits, such as decreasing the risk of heart disease and death.
- More than that can make you more likely to overeat and gain weight.
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When starting a diet, it can be hard to say goodbye to alcohol, however unhealthy it may be.
But you may not have to quit cold turkey. According to a recent review of studies, moderate beer drinking does not seem to be associated with obesity – and it has some benefits for your health.
Researchers in Spain reviewed 13 years of studies that analyzed the health effects of drinking beer. They found that moderate beer drinking – defined as approximately a beer a day for women and 1-2 beers a day for men – decreases the overall risk of heart disease and death.
A beer a day also was associated with a lower risk of diabetes in men, as well as a lower risk of bone fracture in the elderly.
Their findings on weight gain were a little less clear cut, since more than a small daily drink can derail your diet.
More than a beer a day may set back your diet
You might think drinking beer is a gateway to gaining weight. Some of the studies in the review suggested beer does indeed have a direct effect on weight gain and waist circumference in men.
However, the researchers concluded that there's not enough evidence to associate moderate drinking with obesity. According to one study, drinking a beer a day did not increase the body weight of obese individuals.
The limit of moderation is 17 ounces of beer a day, which is about 1.5 cans of beer. Drinking that much beer or more will increase your risk of not losing weight, according to a study from 2009.
That risk is about more than just the calories in beer, according to Bonnie Taub-Dix, registered dietitian-nutritionist and author of "Read It Before You Eat It - Taking You from Label to Table." Drinking alcohol also may decrease your ability to stick to your diet.
"A lot of people, before they drink, they may say, 'OK, tonight I'm not having the bread on the table,'" Taub-Dix said. "Then they go to a restaurant and they have a drink or two, and before you know it, the bread starts to look good."
Saving your beers for the weekend is another story
The authors of the review also pointed out that drinking a beer a day is not the same as drinking seven beers a week. In other words, you can't save all of your drinking for the weekend and call it moderate.
Drinking four to five beers in one sitting crosses into binge drinking territory, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Binge drinking, even if only done on occasion, is associated with health harms including an increased risk of liver and heart diseases.
The researchers instead recommend enjoying a daily beer with mealtime, as is the custom in Mediterranean countries.
Taub-Dix also warned against drinking on an empty stomach. Even though you might feel a quick buzz, it could lead to a dangerous drop in blood sugar. She added that there are better low calorie options for those interested in drinking on a diet, such as light beer.