Can a Glass of Wine Prevent Obesity?

It would be nice, wouldn’t it! This shows the fallacy behind many so-called observational or cross-sectional studies (or rather, the likely fallacy). A Mayo Clinic study analyzed the drinking habits of over 8,000 individuals in relation to their weight. Those who took than five drinks a week were 38% less likely to be obese than non-drinkers. On the other hand, heavy drinking (four drinks a day or more) was linked to more overweight and obesity than that seen in non-drinkers.

Looking a little closer it was found that those who took only one drink a day had the best chance of avoiding obesity (54% less likely), while those who took two drinks a day had a 41% reduced risk. Binge drinking increased the risk by 77%.

While this may sound good to wine lovers, remember that this type of study doesn’t show a cause-and-effect relationship. To do that, you need a prospective or longitudinal study lasting a long time. So we shouldn’t consider drinking to combat obesity, at least not yet.