It’s a hot debate, and I’m sure we all know someone who has an opinion on whether drinking beer or drinking wine is better for watching our weight. Whether or not those opinions are based on scientifically proven facts though is a different matter, or if it is just talk in the street, sometimes true and sometimes not.
To answer that interesting question objectively, we should first set out the rules of the game, starting by pointing out that not all beers are equally fattening, and not all wines are equally fattening. The different alcohol content between each of the two teams significantly affects the calories we take in.
For example, if we compare the calories in a beer with an alcohol content of approximately 5%, as is the case of most beers in the market, with one having around 10% such as the Belgian quadruples, the latter have almost twice as many calories as the former. The same scale can be used to compare wines too, since alcohol content is nearly always the most important factor affecting the calorie content of any of these two fermented products.
So, if alcohol content is the most important factor in this comparison: Are we able to claim that because beer generally has a lower alcohol content than wine, it is less fattening? The answer depends on what we do and don’t take into account. If we draw up a comparison table with calories per volume, the answer would be yes, and we could think that drinking beer instead of wine is more likely to help keep a slim figure. But, do we drink the same quantity when we drink wine or beer?
A person is more likely to drink more quantity of beer than wine when choosing one option or the other, thereby levelling out that point in favour of beer regarding lower alcohol content. To establish a comparison table that at least considers estimated figures, a 125 ml glass of wine on average has 120 calories, similar to that of a 33 cl bottle of beer, considering most lager beer.
Bearing in mind that the WHO recommends a calorie intake of between 1500 and 2000 kcal/day for women, and 2000 to 2500 kcal/day for men, we can put that glass of wine or pint of beer into perspective within our diet as a whole in order to see their actual importance combined with the rest of the food we eat.
In short, there is no categorical answer to the question, but there is a recommendation that is equally applicable to wine and beer as products with alcohol content: always drink responsibly and keep a healthy diet and lifestyle with physical exercise adapted to our personal circumstances.
Cheers!
