Beer vs. wine and liquor drinkers heres who has the absolutely worst diet

Beer drinkers won’t be in good spirits when they read this news.Lager lovers tend to have worse diets, exercise less and smoke more cigarettes than people who drink wine, liquor or a combination, a new study finds.Researchers compared the diets of more than 1,900 US alcohol drinkers — 38.9% consumed only beer, 21.8% only wine, 18.2% only liquor and 21% a combination of alcohol types.None of the groups came close to achieving the 80-point score that is considered an adequate diet on the 100-point Healthy Eating Index, a US measure of diet quality.Wine drinkers scored 55, liquor-only and combination drinkers earned nearly 53 points and beer drinkers posted the lowest score (49).Beer-only drinkers are more likely to be male, younger, smokers and low-income, the researchers determined, and they reported the highest daily caloric intake and the lowest level of physical activity.Lead study author Dr.Madeline Novack, chief resident at Tulane School of Medicine’s internal medicine residency program, reasoned that beer may be a popular choice in places where foods are low in fiber and high in carbohydrates and processed meats.Wine — particularly red wine — is often paired with more balanced meals that contain meat, vegetables and dairy, Novack added.She also suggested that the inverse is true, that dietary choices influence alcohol preferences.

For example, fried or salty foods may inspire beer consumption.Regardless of why someone is drinking alcohol, Novack pointed out that alcohol abuse is the leading cause of cirrhosis in the US, and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is rapidly becoming more common.“Both types of liver disease often coexist, and lifestyle changes are key to managing and preventing these conditions, starting with understanding the link between alcohol use and poor nutrition,” Novack said.She encourages patients to share their alcohol consumption habits, including the type of booze, with their physician.Stephan...