This may call for a toast.
Healthy-weight women who drink a light to moderate amount of alcohol -- no more than two servings a day of red wine, white wine, beer or liquor -- tend to gain less weight over time than non-drinkers, says a study in Monday's Archives of Internal Medicine.
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston studied the alcohol consumption of more than 19,000 women, who started out at healthy weights. Over an average of 13 years of follow-up, most women packed on pounds.
Those who consumed a light to moderate amount of alcohol gained less weight and were less likely to become overweight or obese than women who drank no alcohol.
"Women who drink moderate amounts of alcohol tend to eat less food, particularly carbohydrates," says cardiologist Lu Wang, lead researcher on the study and an instructor at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
But a word of caution: Excessive alcohol consumption can be associated with serious medical and psychosocial problems, she says. "Women still need to eat healthy and exercise regularly for optimal health."
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