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Studies in the United States and Spain demonstrate an inverse relationship between drinking and healthy eating. As consumption of alcoholic beverages increases, the maintenance of a balanced diet decreases. The results hold true for women and men and appear to be a concerning trend in no way limited to the U.S.

In the United States, a team of researchers from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Department of Agriculture attempted to determine correlations between dietary habits and drinking. The individual health dangers associated with poor diet and heavy drinking are already well-established. Both have been recognized as factors contributing to chronic health issues such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. The focus of this research was to determine whether or not the combination of poor diet and alcohol misuse further elevates those risks.

The team of researchers questioned over 8,000 men and well over 7,000 women about their personal food and drinking habits. The majority of those participating in the study were white non-Hispanics who were non-smokers with a minimum education through high school and a BMI (body mass index) of 25 or higher (which indicated obesity or overweight).

The researchers categorized participants’ alcoholic drinking status according to the following categories: current drinker, former drinker or never drank. Among those surveyed, 76 percent of men as well as 65 percent of women fell under the category of current drinkers. Dietary habits were factored on asking participants what foods they had consumed over the previous 24 hours. Healthy eating was determined as measured against Healthy Eating Index Scores which reflect adherence to federal dietary guidelines.

More Alcohol, More Fat & Calories

For women, increased amounts of alcohol consumed were mirrored by decreased intake of fruit and higher intakes of calories. Men ate fewer whole grains and drank less milk as their alcohol consumption rose. Both men and women were more likely to eat foods high in fat and sugar in proportion to their increased drinking.

A similar study was conducted in Spain. There, in addition to dietary data, researchers also factored in information concerning what type of alcoholic beverages were consumed and whether they were consumed at mealtimes. The study, conducted by telephone from 2000-2005, surveyed 12,037 adults in Madrid and the surrounding area. Those surveyed (5,850 men and 6,187 women) were considered representative of the general adult population in the region.

As in the U.S. study, food habits were determined according to what had been consumed within the past 24 hours and were compared to dietary recommendations. The Spanish study revealed findings in concert with the U.S. study. Excessive drinkers demonstrated poor dietary habits.

Certain Alcoholic Drinks Worse than Others

The Madrid study went one step further by differentiating between types of alcohol, determining that those who drank spirits were even more likely to eat poorly. Of particular note in Spain and other European countries where small amounts of wine have traditionally been consumed during mealtimes is the negative relationship between drinking at meals and proper nutrition.

Until now, drinking at a meal was considered to be healthy. This study shows that the practice often results in eating too few fruits and vegetables and too much protein. Furthermore, young Spanish adults are less likely to sip wine at dinner than their parents may have and are more likely to binge on spirits over a weekend.

Alcohol consumption and diet are risk factors that can be controlled. Attention to federal dietary recommendations is one step. Changing drinking habits is another. The least healthy drinking happens when people consume three to four beverages in one day. Spirits and beer are worse than other alcohols in terms of negative influence on proper diet.