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. 2022 Feb 16;8(5):641-656.
doi: 10.1002/osp4.598. eCollection 2022 Oct.

Beer, wine, and spirits differentially influence body composition in older white adults-a United Kingdom Biobank study

Brittany A Larsen  1   2 , Brandon S Klinedinst  1   3 , Scott T Le  3 , Colleen Pappas  3 , Tovah Wolf  4 , Nathan F Meier  5 , Ye-Lim Lim  6 , Auriel A Willette  1   2   3   7
Affiliations

Beer, wine, and spirits differentially influence body composition in older white adults-a United Kingdom Biobank study

Brittany A Larsen et al. Obes Sci Pract. .

Abstract

Background: Aging is characterized by body composition alterations, including increased visceral adiposity accumulation and bone loss. Alcohol consumption may partially drive these alterations, but findings are mixed. This study primarily aimed to investigate whether different alcohol types (beer/cider, red wine, white wine/Champagne, spirits) differentially associated with body composition.

Methods: The longitudinal UK Biobank study leveraged 1869 White participants (40-80 years; 59% male). Participants self-reported demographic, alcohol/dietary consumption, and lifestyle factors using a touchscreen questionnaire. Anthropometrics and serum for proteomics were collected. Body composition was obtained via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Structural equation modeling was used to probe direct/indirect associations between alcohol types, cardiometabolic biomarkers, and body composition.

Results: Greater beer/spirit consumptions were associated with greater visceral adiposity (β = 0.069, p < 0.001 and β = 0.014, p < 0.001, respectively), which was driven by dyslipidemia and insulin resistance. In contrast, drinking more red wine was associated with less visceral adipose mass (β = -0.023, p < 0.001), which was driven by reduced inflammation and elevated high-density lipoproteins. White wine consumption predicted greater bone density (β = 0.051, p < 0.005).

Discussion: Beer/spirits may partially contribute to the "empty calorie" hypothesis related to adipogenesis, while red wine may help protect against adipogenesis due to anti-inflammatory/eulipidemic effects. Furthermore, white wine may benefit bone health in older White adults.1.

Keywords: adiposity; alcohol; body composition; wine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Flow diagram demonstrating the exclusion of participants. The flow chart diagram depicts the step‐by‐step exclusion of participants in order to obtain a final sub‐sample with no missingness amongst the data of interest
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Mediation model. This model was used to tested whether different types of alcohol consumption associated with body composition outcomes and whether changes in serum biomarkers influenced these associations, while controlling for demographics, height, and lifestyle variables
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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