Calories in alcohol

Why calories in alcohol are extra-fattening

Alcoholic drinks are made by fermenting and distilling natural starch and sugar.

What is a unit of alcohol? Find out here...

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Calories from alcohol are 'empty calories', they have no nutritional value. Most alcoholic drinks contain traces of vitamins and minerals, but not usually in amounts that make any significant contribution to our diet.

Drinking alcohol also reduces the amount of fat your body burns for energy (1). While we can store nutrients, protein, carbohydrates, and fat in our bodies, we can't store alcohol. So our systems want to get rid of it, and doing so takes priority. All of the other processes that should be taking place (including absorbing nutrients and burning fat) are interrupted.

Find out how many calories are in wine...

How many calories are in an alcoholic drink?

With a pint of lager containing the same amount of calories as a slice of pizza, the calories in alcohol soon add up…

More questions? Check out our FAQ section...

Common drinks

• 35ml gin and tonic =128
• 35ml dark rum and coke =141
• Medium glass of 12% white wine (175ml) =130
• Medium glass of 12% red wine (175ml) =119
• Bottle of 13.5% wine (white) =555
• Bottle of wine 11% (red) = 510
• Pint of 5% Lager = 244
• Pint of 4.5% Cider = 233
• Pint of 4.1% Stout = 210
• Pint of 4.5% Bitter/Ale =222
• 50ml of 40% Liqueur =170
• 50ml of 40% Brandy =110
• 25ml of 40% Whiskey =56
• Bottle (275ml) of 5.5% alcopop =171

You can keep an eye on how much you're drinking - and the calories you're taking in - with our unit calculator and the MyDrinkaware tool. Drinking within the government's daily unit guidelines and trying to give yourself a couple of days off alcohol every week, will help you avoid piling on the pounds.