A glass of wine a day can help you lose weight, reduce diabetes risk

A new study has shown that drinking wine in moderation could help people to lose weight, and that the old theory linking alcohol with obesity could be incorrect. The researchers now claim that, although drinking heavily will mean you put on weight, having the occasional glass of wine could actually help you prevent putting on weight.
The study, by scientists at Navarro University in Spain and published in the journal Nutrition Reviews, showed that the moderate consumption of alcohol, especially wine, was more likely to protect against weight gain, while drinking spirits was positively associated with weight gain.
The team assessed the findings of 31 separate studies carried out between 1984 and 2010, finding that there were contradictions that meant there was no conclusively confirmation of a link between drinking and weight gain. The research that did highlight such a link tended to be focused on heavy drinking . As the study stated “It is possible that heavy drinkers may experience such an effect more commonly than light drinkers.”
It was also added that “The type of alcoholic beverage might play an important role in modifying the effect of alcohol consumption on weight gain.”
Previous studies had indicated that people who drink moderately are at 30 per cent less risk of developing type 2 diabetes, meaning that even obese people do not have to give up alcohol for this reason.