When it comes to wine, the French might be on to something. For beer drinkers have worse diets, smoke more and are lazier than wine and spirit lovers, a study suggests. 

According to US researchers who tracked the drinking habits of almost 2,000 adults, even those who drank a combination of alcohols were healthier than pint downers alone. 

Beer drinkers were found to have the highest daily caloric intake and the lowest level of physical activity. 

This, the experts said, puts beer lovers at a higher risk of obesity and its related diseases. 

Study lead author and researcher in internal medicine at Tulane University, Dr Madeline Novack, said the negative effects of excessive alcohol, including liver disease, can often be exacerbated by poor diets.

In the study, scientists compared the diets of more than 1,900 US alcohol drinkers against the 100-point Healthy Eating Index — a US measure of diet quality.

Information about participants’ eating habits was collected via extensive questionnaires.  

Just over a third (38.9 per cent) consumed only beer, a fifth (21.8 per cent) only wine, 18.2 per cent, only liquor and 21 per cent, a combination of drinks.

According to US researchers, who tracked the drinking habits of almost 2,000 adults, even those who drank a combination of alcohols were more healthy than pint downers alone

The NHS recommends people drink no more than 14 ‘units’ of alcohol — around six glasses of wine, or pints of beer — per week

They discovered none of the groups came close to achieving a score that indicates an ‘adequate diet’ — a figure above 80.

But wine drinkers scored 55, liquor-only and combination drinkers earned nearly 53 points while beer drinkers posted the lowest score (49). 

Beer drinkers also reported eating the most calories and doing the least amount of exercise. 

According to Dr Novack, they were more likely to be male, younger, smokers and low-income.

However, she suggested the differences in diet quality may be down to the context in which the type of alcohol is consumed. 

Wine — particularly red wine — is often paired with more balanced meals that contain meat, vegetables and dairy, Dr Novack said.

By contrast, beer is often chosen in settings where foods tend to be low in fibre and high in carbohydrates and processed meats.

Fried or salty foods, that dehydrate consumers, may also inspire beer consumption. 

The research will be presented at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases’ 2024 ‘Liver Meeting’ in San Diego on Sunday. 

Leading experts have argued about the harms of moderate drinking for decades.

It came under the spotlight last year when WHO officials warned that no amount of alcohol is safe. 

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The NHS recommends people drink no more than 14 ‘units’ of alcohol — around six glasses of wine, or pints of beer — per week. 

This itself has been watered down over the past few decades in light of studies illustrating the health dangers of alcohol.   

Meanwhile, the US says women should drink no more than seven standard drinks a week and men can have 14. 

Scientists across the board agree that excessive alcohol consumption can permanently damage the liver, cause an array of cancers and drive up blood pressure.

It puts a strain on the heart muscle and can lead to cardiovascular disease (CVD), which increases your risk of heart attack and stroke. 

Binge drinking — sometimes defined by consuming five drinks within two hours —can make the heart beat irregularly, triggering symptoms including breathlessness, tiredness and increased blood pressure. 

The World Health Organisation estimate alcohol kills three million people around the world each year.