Drinking alcohol in small amounts regularly could mean you are less likely to become obese than if you do not drink at all, new research suggests.
The US study, published in the journal BMC Public Health, may appear to contradict the traditional image of the beer belly often found attached to those who like a drink or two.
But the researchers said the results did not mean teetotallers should turn to the bottle in the battle of the bulge.
Dr Armed Arif, of Texas Tech University, and Professor James Rohrer, from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, analysed the results of a health and nutrition survey, focusing on 8,236 non-smokers who took part.
The respondents were asked to fill in a questionnaire about their drinking habits, while their body mass index was also measured.
The survey found that 46% of the group were current drinkers who drank at least one drink a month on average, while those who drank four or more drinks a day were classified as heavy drinkers.
The researchers found current drinkers were 27% less likely to be obese compared to non-drinkers. They said that those who drank one or two drinks regularly, but less than five drinks a week, were significantly less likely to be obese compared to non-drinkers and heavy drinkers.
But heavy drinkers were 46% more likely to be obese compared to those who drank nothing at all.
Dr Arif and Prof Rohrer said: The odds of overweight and obesity were significantly higher among those who indulged in binge drinking and/or heavy drinking - consuming four or more drinks per day.
In contrast, light to moderate drinking - consuming one or two drinks per day - was associated with lower odds of overweight and obesity.
美國最新公布的一項研究顯示，與一貫滴酒不沾的人相比，那些平時少量飲酒者身體發胖的可能性要更低一些。
據《每日郵報》12月5日報道，進行這項研究的是兩名美國學者，他們分別是來自得克薩斯理工大學的阿梅德 middot;阿里夫博士以及來自明尼蘇達州羅切斯特市梅奧診所的詹姆斯·羅勒爾教授。這兩人對8236名不吸煙者參與的健康與營養調查所采集的數據進行了研究，他們發現，46%的參與者平均每個月至少要喝1杯酒，這些人與嚴格禁酒者相比，成為胖子的可能性要低73%。阿里夫博士和羅勒爾教授表示，少量飲酒者身體發胖的概率要明顯低于從不喝酒者或重度飲酒者。此外，重度飲酒者的身體進入肥胖狀態的可能性要比滴酒不沾者高46%。
人們一向將大腹便便與每天喝上幾口聯系起來，但該項研究的結論或許會對這種傳統觀念提出異議。阿里夫博士和羅勒爾教授共同表示：“對于那些整天縱酒狂歡或是重度飲酒的人來說(每天飲酒量不少于4杯)，他們的體重超標或是成為肥胖者的幾率要比其他人高。相比之下，那些輕度或中度飲酒者(每天只喝一二杯酒)成為胖子的可能性就變得很小了。”當然這兩位研究者也表示，這項研究結論并不意味著那些不飲酒的人應當放棄原有習慣，轉而成為貪杯者。