Does Alcohol Make You Gain Weight?

If you tend to uncork a bottle of wine each night with dinner or crack a beer as soon as it hits 5 p.m., you may wonder if these habits are causing weight gain or preventing you from losing weight. 

The not-so-simple answer is that, yes, drinking alcohol can probably cause weight gain in many people. However, body weight depends on so many other things that we can’t give a hard-and-fast explanation. 

Due to factors like hormone changes, increases in appetite, fat-burning inhibition, inflammation, and more, alcohol can definitely cause weight gain. However, like all things in the world of nutrition, this is not true for everybody.

But if you think alcohol might be playing a role in your weight gain or inability to lose weight, keep reading to learn more about what the research says—and how to drink more mindfully to support weight loss or weight management. 

Does Alcohol Cause Weight Gain?

Alcohol consumption causes weight gain in some people, but this can depend on how much someone is drinking, how often, and what the rest of their lifestyle looks like (among other things).

One meta-analysis from 2022 combined data from 127 observational studies and looked at the differences between cohort and cross-sectional studies and the variations between light, moderate, and heavy drinking. Briefly, cohort studies follow a group of people over several years and track various data points, while cross-sectional studies are a brief snapshot in time of a group of people (e.g., what were these 100 people drinking in July 2024, and what were their weights?).¹ 

In the cohort studies, the researchers found no significant association between people who drank alcohol and weight gain, regardless of how much they drank.

Conversely, cross-sectional studies did show a relationship between alcohol and weight. In these studies, alcohol consumption was significantly associated with an 11% increased risk of being overweight and a 23% increased risk of being overweight and/or having obesity. 

Unsurprisingly, heavy alcohol consumption fared worse for weight gain. Compared to non-drinkers or light drinkers, heavy drinkers (>28 g/d, or just two shots of hard alcohol) had a 32% increased odds of being overweight and/or obese and a 25% increased risk of having abdominal obesity. 

Even if you don’t classify yourself as a heavy drinker, you may be surprised by how little that amount actually is: more than three drinks in one day or seven drinks per week for women, and over four drinks in one day or 14 drinks per week for men is considered heavy drinking. 

That said, several other studies have not shown a relationship between alcohol and weight gain.^2,3  

According to a comprehensive review paper published in Current Obesity Reports in 2015, “Several studies have found that only excessive or heavy drinking is correlated with increased measures of adiposity [body fat].”⁴ 

Disregarding people with alcohol use disorder, who tend to experience weight loss and malnutrition, the reasons for these conflicting results may largely come down to genetics. Just like you probably have that one friend who can eat whatever they want and never gain a pound, some people who drink regularly will also not experience weight gain.⁵ 

Another potential for these discrepancies is due to how you drink alcohol and how often. Researchers in that same 2015 review paper reported that binge drinking less frequently (like heavy drinking most weekends) is more associated with weight gain than light drinking throughout the week.⁴

(By the way, “binge drinking” entails drinking more than four drinks for women or five drinks for men in a 2-hour period.)⁶

That said, if you think your wine or spicy marg habit is getting in the way of your weight loss or health goals, it’s certainly possible. Let’s take a look at six potential reasons why drinking alcohol may cause weight gain or prevent weight loss. 

6 Reasons Why Alcohol Might Make You Gain Weight

Alcohol Is High in Empty Calories

Alcohol contains 7 calories per gram, which is more than carbohydrates and protein (4 kcal/g) but less than fat (9 kcal/g). 

However, most people don’t drink straight alcohol on its own—they’re drinking beer, wine, cider, or mixed drinks, the last of which can be shockingly high in calories. 

Light beer, non-dessert wines, clear liquor, and clear-liquor-based drinks without sugary mixers are the lowest in calories, at about 100-130 calories per serving (just 12oz for beer, 5oz for wine, and 1.5oz for liquor, by the way). 

Mixed drinks can set you back much further, with a restaurant margarita containing anywhere from 200 to 700 calories, for example. Many beers are also high in calories, with craft beers like IPAs clocking up to 300 calories.

Many people vastly underestimate how many calories they are consuming from alcohol. At restaurants or bars, you have no idea how much of what ingredients are going into your drink, and at home, most people significantly overpour their drinks. (Just measure out 5 ounces of wine the next time you drink at home and see the difference!)

Plus, the fact that alcohol—frustratingly—doesn’t require nutritional labeling can make it even more challenging for the average person to discern just how many calories they are consuming from their drinks. 

Overall, the empty calories that come from alcoholic drinks are a significant contributor to gaining weight from alcohol. 

Alcohol Inhibits Fat Oxidation and Slows Metabolism

Alcohol slows down your metabolism and inhibits fat oxidation, reducing the amount of fat that can be burned for energy. In simple terms, alcohol prevents fat burning.⁴

This is because your body cannot store alcohol, so any food that is in your system while you consume alcohol will be put on hold. While your body deals with metabolizing and eliminating the toxic alcohol, all of the food you just ate (or ate semi-recently) will likely end up being stored as fat. 

One older study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that metabolic processes were reduced by a whopping 73% for three hours after consuming two alcoholic drinks.⁸ 

Alcohol Alters Hunger Hormones and Increases Appetite

As anyone who has chowed down on Taco Bell or Pizza Hut after a night at the bars can attest, alcohol makes you hungry. 

It causes you to overeat by influencing your hunger and satiety hormones. The main hormones that are affected are leptin and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), both of which are reduced by alcohol intake.⁴

Leptin is our primary satiety hormone, which helps us feel full and satisfied after eating. Without leptin, we feel hungry and crave food. You might recognize GLP-1 as the “Ozempic hormone,” another one that regulates appetite and digestion and can help with weight loss when elevated.

Alcohol also reduces inhibition and good decision-making, meaning you are much more likely to throw your healthy eating plan straight out of the window and make nachos after you’ve had a few.

Alcohol Can Increase Cortisol and Inflammation

Alcohol is inflammatory, which can contribute to weight gain. It also is known to elevate cortisol levels—our primary stress hormone.^4,9 

Although we need cortisol, it becomes unhealthy when cortisol levels are too high for too long. 

High cortisol levels are linked to an increased risk of being overweight or obese, suggesting a potential mechanism between alcohol intake and weight.¹⁰

Alcohol Interferes With Nutrient Absorption

Alcohol consumption—especially heavy and chronic drinking—blocks the absorption or utilization of many vitamins and minerals, especially zinc and vitamins B1 (thiamin), B9 (folate), and B12. 

You may not think that a lower intake of something could cause weight gain, but in the case of micronutrients, it’s true.

We need vitamins and minerals for essential biological processes like cellular metabolism and regulating inflammatory pathways. Without adequate nutrient status, we can also feel hungrier and crave more foods, leading to increased caloric intake and weight gain.

Alcohol Impedes Exercise and Fitness

Lastly, an indirect way that alcohol can make you gain weight is by impeding your workouts. 

Even if you think you are “burning off” all the extra calories you drank last night by hopping on the treadmill for an hour or skipping out on dessert, it’s not quite as simple as that. 

Alcohol can actually impede physical fitness and performance by making the heart less efficient at pumping blood and delivering oxygen to the body, negatively impacting aerobic fitness capabilities. 

It also interferes with muscle growth by lowering protein synthesis, essentially negating most of the efforts in your workout. 

Alcohol consumption can slow your ability to recover and heal after a workout, which not only makes you more prone to injuries but also impedes the normal muscle-building and repair process.

Tips for Mindful Drinking to Support Weight Management

If you want to drink alcohol (no judgment from us) and lose weight, here are some tips to incorporate to help you reach your health goals:

• Stick to the recommended amounts of light-to-moderate intake of alcohol: 1 drink or less per day for women and 2 drinks or less per day for men. 
• Avoid sugary mixed drinks at all costs. You don’t want to give your body a double whammy of alcohol and sugar in one go. Instead of overly sugary juices or soda, opt for low-sugar mixers like sparkling water, seltzer, lime, or just a splash of juice.
• Opt for lower-calorie liquors. Vodka has 64 calories per ounce, tequila has 69 calories per ounce, and gin has 74 calories per ounce. 
• Opt for light beers and skip the dessert wine. 
• Drink a glass of water between each drink. This can both slow you down and keep you more hydrated. 
• Don’t drink on an empty stomach, which helps your body absorb the alcohol more slowly. 

Alcohol and Weight FAQs