Eating or drinking too many calories on a regular basis can lead to weight gain.But unlike food, alcoholic drinks have very little or no nutritional value.
The 'empty calories' in drinks are often forgotten or ignored by dieters, says the WCRF.
Kate Mendoza, head of health information at WCRF, said: "Recent reports have shown that people are unaware of calories in drinks and don't include them when calculating their daily consumption."
Containing 7kcal/g, alcohol is only slightly less calorific than fat, which contains 9kcal/g.
Protein and carbohydrates contain 4kcal/g and fibre 2kcal/g.
Men need around 2,500 calories a day, and women around 2,000.
"Cutting down on drinking can have a big effect on weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight," said Ms Mendoza.
It can also reduce your risk of cancer, she said.
Alcohol has been linked(связывать) with breast, bowel, mouth and liver cancer.
If you don't want to abstain entirely(полностью), there are ways that can help you cut down, including opting for smaller glass sizes, diluting(растворять) alcohol with soda water or a low-calorie soft drink, alternating between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and keeping a few nights each week booze-free(без выпивок).
WCRF has produced an Alcohol Calorie Calculator for different drinks that shows approximately how much exercise you would need to do to burn off the alcohol calories you consume.
Government guidelines recommend men should not regularly drink more than 3-4 units of alcohol a day, and women should limit themselves to 2-3 units a day.
A standard 175ml glass of wine contains about two units and a large 250ml glass contains about three units.
If you have had a heavy drinking session, you should avoid alcohol for at least 48 hours, experts advise.
do you take alcoholic beverages? do you know as alcohol influences a human body? do you know that it is harmful?
I treat alcohol negatively. I consider that alcohol is harmful. it is possible to get used to it easily
I have known that alcohol is high-calorie. We should avoid useing it. Of course, i agree with experts. All of us know that alcohol harms our health. But there is more one reason not to use it. Nevertheless, it doesn't frighten people. And they contiue to do it!! It is their choice!
