Beer drinkers less healthy than wine drinkers, research on diet, exercise, smoking shows

A survey finds beer drinkers more likely to smoke, exercise less and eat worse than wine and liquor drinkers. Researchers propose a reason

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Men enjoy beers and burgers. Researchers say beer drinkers have lower-quality diets than wine drinkers, and this could in part be down to the low-fibre foods typically served at pubs. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 4:15am, 23 Nov 2024Updated: 5:05am, 23 Nov 2024

Big-bellied beer swillers chomp down potato chips and lumps of deep-fried chicken in a smoky pub while throwing darts and roaring at a big screen showing a football match.

Meanwhile, at the wine bar next door, svelte sippers make small talk while moving bits of salad around a plate and gingerly plucking morsels off a cheese board.

Tropes or truth? The needle is edging towards the latter, going by a recent “nationally representative” survey of almost 2,000 drinkers in the United States, who were asked about what they eat and if they get any exercise.

“Beer drinkers have lower-quality diets, are less active, and are more likely to smoke cigarettes than people who drink wine, liquor or a combination,” according to doctors at Tulane University in New Orleans, who discussed their findings at an American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases meeting, which took place November 15-19.

Women drinking wine accompanied by a salad. According to research, beer drinkers have lower-quality diets than wine drinkers, possibly in part because wine is often paired with healthier meals. Photo: Shutterstock

The researchers said the differences in diet quality could be in part due to beer being available in pubs and at barbecues “where the available foods tend to be low in fibre and high in carbohydrates and processed meats”.