A large study of adults aged 25 to 75 examined how regular alcohol intake may influence hidden body fat
Having a drink from time to time is something many adults enjoy, and for a lot of people it can slowly turn into a daily habit. That single beer in the evening or one glass of wine with dinner may seem small, but over time those drinks can begin to add up.
Whether someone prefers red, white, or rosé wine, moderate drinking is often viewed as fairly harmless. Many people even believe that certain types of wine may have health benefits.
This idea is often linked to red wine, which contains antioxidants that are sometimes associated with heart health. Even so, that does not mean it is automatically healthy, and the same thinking applies to beer as well.
Scientists have debated the possible benefits and risks of alcohol for many years. At the same time, medical advice has remained fairly consistent that alcohol intake should be limited.
That recommendation exists because frequent drinking can raise the risk of several health conditions. These include heart disease, liver problems, and a number of other long-term issues.
However, a newer study suggests that the effects of alcohol may reach further into the body than many people previously realized.
The research, published in the International Journal of Obesity, found that weekly alcohol consumption appears to be linked with higher levels of visceral fat mass, often shortened to VFM.
The Oxford Biobank study found shocking results
Visceral fat is a type of body fat that sits deep inside the abdomen. Instead of lying just under the skin, it wraps around several important organs.
Having some visceral fat is normal and part of the body’s natural structure. Problems begin when too much of this fat builds up over time.
Higher levels of visceral fat have been linked with increased health risks. These include cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and a range of metabolic conditions.
To explore this issue further, researchers used data from the Oxford Biobank study. The project included 5,761 men and women between the ages of 25 and 75 who answered questions about their drinking habits.
Participants were then divided into groups based on gender so researchers could examine patterns more closely. The team used dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, commonly known as DXA scanning, to measure total body fat and visceral fat mass.
After processing the data, the final sample consisted of 42.8 percent men and 57.2 percent women.
Among the male participants who drank alcohol, weekly intake ranged from roughly one to four units at the low end to between 17 and 98 units per week at the higher end.
For female participants, reported drinking levels ranged from about 10 to 50 units in a typical week.
Visceral fat is stored deep inside your abdomen
When researchers compared these drinking levels with visceral fat measurements, they noticed a clear pattern.
Across both men and women, individuals who reported higher alcohol intake tended to have higher levels of visceral fat.
Among men who consumed the most alcohol, visceral fat levels were about 10.7 percent higher compared with those who drank less.
For women, the difference appeared even larger, with visceral fat levels roughly 17.1 percent higher in the group that reported the greatest alcohol consumption.
The researchers also pointed out several limitations in the study. For example, they did not analyze participants’ diets, the specific types of alcoholic drinks they consumed, or long-term health outcomes.
The paper also explained that the research was observational. Because the study relied on people reporting their own drinking habits, it cannot prove that alcohol directly caused the increase in visceral fat.
Even so, doctors have long known that frequent alcohol consumption can contribute to weight gain. This is partly why the well-known phrase “beer belly” became popular.
What many people may not realize, however, is that higher levels of visceral fat can affect the heart itself.
Research suggests that excess visceral fat may cause the heart to show signs of aging earlier than expected.
Alcohol consumption can increase your visceral fat
Scientists at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences and Imperial College London have also studied how fat stored in different parts of the body affects the heart.
Their findings suggest that fat stored around the abdomen can be harmful to cardiovascular health.
Interestingly, fat stored in the hips and thighs, particularly in women, may actually provide some protective benefits for the heart.
Professor Declan O’Regan, who leads the research and serves as the British Heart Foundation Professor of Cardiovascular AI, explained the broader goal of the work.
He said: “The goal of our research is to find ways to increase healthy lifespan. While being active is important, we found that hidden fat could still be harmful even in fit people. In the future we plan to investigate how drug therapies, such as GLP-1 inhibitors (e.g. Ozempic) could improve not just diabetes and obesity, but target the ageing effects of hidden visceral fat.”
