LONDON (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Researchers now know heavy alcohol intake contributes directly to weight gain regardless of the type of alcohol consumed.

Moderate alcohol drinkers typically add alcohol to their daily caloric intake rather than substituting it for calories from food. Although it would be surprising if this did not contribute directly to weight gain, this question has been a topic of controversy. The study authors explain the relationship between alcohol intake and body weight "remains an enigma to nutritionists."

In this study researchers from London measured the body mass index of more than 7,600 men between 40 and 59 years old at year one and then at the end of five years. Five years after the screening the men completed a questionnaire on changes in alcohol intake and body weight.

The authors found the prevalence of men with a high body mass index increased significantly from the light-moderate drinker to the heavy drinker regardless of the type of alcohol they drank. Although there was no evidence that moderate drinking leads to weight gain, heavy drinkers, people who consumed more than 30 grams of alcohol per day, showed the greatest weight gain and had the highest body mass index.

Although the type of alcohol consumed did not change the study results, hard liquor drinkers tended to be heavier than beer and wine drinkers. However, this may be associated with differences in lifestyle and eating habits between men who tended to consume hard liquor compared with beer drinkers.

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2003;77:1313-1317

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