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Calories in alcohol

Calories in alcohol - Man holding a beer

Did you know that a glass of wine has the same calories as a slice of cake? How about a pint of lager – surprised to hear it’s the calorific equivalent of a burger?

In a 2009 Department of Health survey of 2,000 adults, four in 10 admitted they didn’t know those facts about calories in alcohol.

The survey also revealed that the average wine drinker consumes 2,000 extra calories each month. Over the course of a year, that’s the equivalent of eating 184 bags of crisps or 38 roast beef dinners.

Calories in alcohol are empty and extra-fattening

Wine, beer, cider, spirits and all our favourite tipples are made by fermenting and distilling natural starch and sugar. Being high in sugar means alcohol contains lots of calories – seven calories a gram in fact, almost as many as pure fat!

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.

It’s not just the calories that are a problem for our waistlines. Drinking alcohol reduces the amount of fat your body burns for energy. 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. (1)

Alcohol and appetite

Along with drinking alcohol comes the temptation to eat fattening snacks – crisps and salted nuts in the pub, and chip shop fare on the way home.

According to the Department of Health survey, almost one in three people order crisps, nuts or pork scratchings to accompany a drink, while nearly a fifth regularly opt for takeaway food.

More than one in three said they are likely to eat more than they usually would or ditch the healthy diet when they drink above their recommended daily limits. And more than six out of 10 drinkers have a less healthy breakfast if they have a hangover.

How many calories are in an alcoholic drink?

With a pint of bitter the same as a medium slice of pizza, and a standard size ‘ready to drink’ bottle (‘alcopop’) the same as 100g of cookies, the calories in alcohol soon add up…

Gin or vodka and tonic =126

Dark rum and coke =142

Medium glass of white wine (175ml) =130

Medium glass of red wine (175ml) =120

Bottle of wine (white) =555

Bottle of wine (red) =510

5% Lager (pint) =240-50

Cider (pint) =180-250

Stout (pint) =210

Bitter/Ale =180-230

Liqueur (50ml) =100 -170

Brandy (50ml) =110

Whiskey (25ml) =55

Mixed drink (Ready to drink) (275ml bottle) =160-228

The government advises that people should not regularly drink more than the daily unit guidelines of 3-4 units of alcohol for men (equivalent to a pint and a half of 4% beer) and 2-3 units of alcohol for women (equivalent to a 175 ml glass of wine). ‘Regularly’ means drinking every day or most days of the week. Drinking within these guidelines, and trying to give yourself a couple of days off alcohol every week, will help you avoid piling on the pounds.

Keep an eye on how much you’re drinking – and the calories you’re taking in – with our unit calculator and the MyDrinkaware tool.

References

(1) Charles S. Lieber. ALCOHOL: Its Metabolism and Interaction With Nutrients http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev.nutr.20.1.395

(2) Tremblay, A., & St-Pierre, S. (1996). The hyperphagic effect of a high-fat diet and alcohol intake persists after control for energy density. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 63, 479-482

Page last updated by: Unknown, 10 May 2012.

Page checked on: 15 Nov 2011

Understanding unit guidelines

You should not regularly exceed…

Women: 2–3 units daily
Men: 3–4 units daily

The government advises that women should not regularly drink more than the daily unit guidelines of 2–3 units, or…

3 × 25ml shots of whiskey
1.3 × 175ml glasses of white wine
1.3 pints of 4% lager

The government advises that men should not regularly drink more than the daily unit guidelines of 3–4 units, or…

4 × 25ml shots of whiskey
1.7 × 175ml glasses of white wine
1.7 pints of 4% lager