Drinking 1 or more alcoholic beverages daily increases chance of obesity, metabolic syndrome

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Drinking more than two alcoholic beverages a day can increase risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome by more than 30% in some people, according to a recent report that was presented this week during the European and International Congress on Obesity.

The study also found consuming as little as half a typical alcoholic drink each day, which is equivalent to 7g of pure alcohol, can increase the chances of metabolic syndrome and obesity in men and women, according to a study.

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Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions such as elevated blood sugar, high blood pressure and cholesterol, and excess body fat that increases a person’s risk for heart disease, type 2 diabetes and stroke, Health experts told Fox News.

Drinking one shot of liquor, a small glass of wine or a bottle of beer daily, can increase your risk of obesity or metabolic syndrome, researchers in South Korea said in a report 

The researchers looked at alcohol consumption and health data collected from the Korean National Health Insurance System over a two-year period involving nearly 27 million adults who were 20 years and older from South Korea.  The study authors found risk increased with the amount of alcohol consumed daily.

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Men who drank up to one drink a day were 10% more likely to have obesity or metabolic syndrome, and those chances increased to 25% for those who consumed two drinks per day, according to a study press release. The greatest risk association was seen in men who had more than two drinks, with a 34% chance of obesity and 42% risk of metabolic syndrome, the release said.

Women who had more than two drinks a day ran a 22% chance of becoming obese and an 18% chance of having metabolic syndrome, the release stated.

"Our results suggest that the risk of obesity and metabolic syndrome increases in proportion to alcohol consumption when male and female adults drink more than half a standard drink per day," it read.

The release noted that the study is observational and did not establish a cause, and said there may also be unmeasured factors. It also noted the study occurred in South Korea, which could limit the generalizability to other populations.

According to the CDC, more than 40% of Americans are obese and up to 30% of Americans have metabolic syndrome.