Calories (and more) in alcohol: Beer, wine and spirits

The entrenched place that “lite” beer brands have in the alcoholic beverages market tells a story. Yeah, people have never ceased to enjoy and even indulge in what they drink. But calories are still on the minds of many.

So why stop thinking about calories with just beer? Going a bit further and in an opposite direction, why not consider the relative health factors – yes, that’s right: health – of beer, wine and distilled spirits? There really are a number of dynamics to consider for the social drinker or connoisseur when he or she uncorks or twists open a bottle.

Calories first

If you’re working on managing your weight, calories are pretty much what count – and let’s all thank the brewers for ending that silliness of low-carb beers a few years ago. According to Global Information, Inc., a market research portal analyzing food and beverage sales, a beer market sub-segment known as premium import light beers (e.g., Heineken Premium Light and Beck’s Premier Light) more or less was invented in 2005 and by 2006 grew to 14.2% of imported light sales. This suggests that we want calories in check but taste at a premium.

To the uninitiated, that might seem like having your cake, eating it too – and expecting it to be of no caloric or health consequence. But life, drinking and science are a little more complex than that.

Given that alcoholic consumption on a moderate level can offer some health benefits (read on), how do we weigh the relative risks and rewards of drinking? First, let’s put alcoholic beverage calories in the context of overall daily caloric intake. The following chart provides some perspective:

Activity level Daily caloric intake

Sedentary/non-exerciser: calories

Men: 2000-2200

Women: 1500-1700

Moderate exercise (3 days/week, 30 minutes): calories

Men: 2200-2500

Women: 1700-2000

Rigorous exercise (5-7 days/week, 60 minutes): Calories

Men: 2500-3000

Women: 2000-2500

With that established, factor in the following caloric data:

Alcohol source/Calories

Regular beer (12 ounce)/180

Light beer (12 ounce)/100

Wine (5 ounces)/90*

Champagne (5 ounces)/106

Spirits (1.5 ounces)

80 proof/97

90 proof/110

100 proof/124

* With some variation: more for sweeter, less for dry

In other words, if you drink five regular beers in a single day, it would constitute as much as 60% of your overall daily caloric needs. Throw in breakfast, lunch, dinner and a mocha frapucchino and you could well exceed a healthy balance for that day. Switch to a light beer and you knock down the caloric damage considerably.

Even this comes with some complications. Few draft beers are served in a 12 ounce portion, with many house specialties served in oversized pilsner glasses at twice that size. So, that’s two beers, calorically speaking. And don’t forget the mixers – the sweet drinks such as chocla-tinis, pack in lots of delicious calories. The difference between a sunset mojito (with 5 ounces of peach schnapps, an ounce of Johnnie Walker and another 5 ounces of syrup) and a regular mojito (calorie-free soda water, calorie light lime juice and just one teaspoon of sugar with a shot of rum) is pretty significant.

OK, so what about the health benefits?

In the early 1990s, a phenomenon referred to as the French Paradox came to light, which challenged conventional wisdom on healthy eating. Popular foods in France include fatty foie gras, butter and cheeses, bread and always, a glass or two of wine with every meal. Yet, as a population the French experienced lower degrees of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and stroke. What gives?

The research is inconclusive. Maybe it’s because the cheeses and butters are processed differently, from family farms at that (but that’s not always the case). Or perhaps it’s the lifestyle of relaxation, meals consumed more socially with less rush. Subsequent studies on resveratrol – a compound found concentrated in red grapes and red wine – suggest this plays a role in it, as well promoting several other longevity factors.

But various studies correlate better health with moderate consumption of all types of alcohol. the strongest evidence favors red wine because of the resveratrol factor. Even beer,however, contains beneficial antioxidants, while distilled spirits in moderation correlates longevity in observational studies. David J. Hanson, Ph.D. a professor at the State University of New York/Potsdam, says that moderate consumption of any type of alcohol reduces heart attacks, ischemic strokes and circulatory problems through a number of identified ways. They include:

1. Improving blood lipid profile by increasing HDL (“good”) cholesterol and decreasing LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.

2. Decreasing thrombosis (blood clotting) by reducing platelet aggregation, reducing fibrinogen (a blood clotter) and increasing fibrinolysis (the process by which clots dissolve).

3. Increasing coronary blood flow, reducing blood pressure and reducing blood insulin level.

Which is another way of saying “eat, drink and be merry – your heart attack is less likely if you have a glass or two of pinot noir alongside your vegetables, fava beans and pork loin at dinner tonight. Calories may be of secondary consideration.”

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Russ Klettke enjoys a good beer now and then, and is an ACE (American Council on Exercise) certified fitness trainer and also the author of “A Guy’s Gotta Eat, the regular guy’s guide to eating smart” (Marlowe & Co., 2004, with Deanna Conte, MS RD LD), available at Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and more than 70 public library systems in the U.S., Canada and Europe. His other HubPages address practical ways to eat healthfully and exercise as a means to improve health.