People who gulp just a glass of wine or a bottle of beer daily could be 25 per cent likely to be obese or suffer from a metabolic syndrome, finds a study involving over 26 million people in South Korea.
Even after adjusting data for factors like age, exercise, smoking, and income, the team's analysis found a close link between alcohol intake and obesity risk.
The highest risk was observed in men who drank more than two drinks or 24g alcohol per day, with 34% higher odds of obesity and 42% greater odds of metabolic syndrome.
The study, presented at the virtual European and International Congress on Obesity, observed similar risks for women except for a slight dip in metabolic syndrome associated with half to one daily drink.