United States: New research shows that the type of alcohol you drink might reflect your lifestyle. Beer drinkers tend to have unhealthier habits, like eating worse, being less active, and smoking more, compared to people who prefer wine or liquor.
That kind of lifestyle can go a long way toward preventing health woes for people who are already boozing and potentially developing liver disease, said the study’s lead author, Dr. Madeline Novack.
As reported by HealthDay, “Cirrhosis secondary to alcohol is the predominant cause of liver disease in the United States and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease [MASLD] is on the rise,” explained Novack, the chief resident of Tulane School of Medicine internal medicine residency program.
“These two types of liver disease are quite common and are frequently associated with one another,” Novack said in the Tulane news release; “Lifestyle modifications form the basis of management and prevention of many of these conditions with beginning knowledge of alcohol mutagenic effects on nutritionally deprived tissues.”
To do analysis for the study, following national survey data of 1,910 current drinkers in United States were collected. The respondents provided answers to specific questions concerning their diets.
Some 39% of a sample size of 1, 045 confessed that they consume beer only while 22% take wine, 18% liquors and 21% a mix of the products, said the researchers.
None scored 80 points or higher — the HEI score of a healthy intake of foods.
The lowest mean value obtained was 49 for beer-only drinkers, 55 for wine-drinkers while liquors and combined spirits drinkers had a mean value of about 53 according to the researchers.
Increased overall caloric intake and reduced exercise also prevailed in beer consumers: Peer reviewed In beer consuming population higher TDI was cited as well as the lower level of physical activity.
The variation in diet could be attributed to which foods are typically consumed together with different types of alcohol, according to Novack.
Friends accompanying beers are normally low fiber and high carb meals of processed meats. While beer is consumed with meals that contain meats, vegetables and dairy products, Novack said this of wine.
It also could be that foods cause a person to feel more thirst for specific types of alcohol, Novack said. For instance, foods rich in oil or salt content could help develop palate-persuasive preference for beer than wine or spirit.