NCD Watch

Alcohol Consumption and Obesity Risk

23 Feburary 2023 (Thu)

Obesity is one of the top public health issues. The fundamental cause of obesity is an energy imbalance between calories consumed and calories expended. Alcohol is highly calorific that each gram of alcohol provides 7 kilo-calories. Heavy alcohol drinking is positively associated with obesity risk. Apart from adding extra calories to daily diet, alcohol inhibits the breakdown and usage of fats as energy and favours fat accumulation particularly in the liver and abdominal area. So, the higher the level of alcohol consumption, the greater the risk of obesity.

The Population Health Survey 2020-22 conducted by the Department of Health (DH) showed that 8.7% (14.1% for males; 4.0% for females) of local persons aged 15 or above drank alcohol regularly (i.e. drank at least once a week) and 15.3% (18.3% for males; 12.6% for females) drank occasionally (i.e. drank in 3 days or less a month) in the 12 months preceding the survey. 2.0% (3.3% for males; 0.8% for females) of persons aged 15 or above reported binge drinking (i.e. consuming 5 or more portions of alcoholic beverages on one occasion) at least once per month during the 12 months preceding the survey.

Alcohol consumption is a causal factor in more than 200 diseases, injuries and other health conditions, whereas obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. The co-occurrence of alcohol consumption and obesity would interact synergistically and place the person at excess risks for life-threatening non-communicable diseases (such as hypertension, chronic liver diseases and liver cancer).

To reduce alcohol-related harms and risk of obesity, members of the public are urged to lead a healthy lifestyle. Apart from refraining from alcohol consumption, they should undertake regular physical activity, eat a balanced diet with sufficient in-take of fruit and vegetables, avoid smoking, and maintain a healthy weight and waist circumference.

To raise public awareness on the potential health effect of alcohol drinking and facilitate members of the public to make an informed choice for better health, DH has produced an Announcement in the Public Interests “Alcohol and Calories” which can be accessible at https://youtu.be/BhzQzzQ_K88. For more information about alcohol-related harm or healthy living tips, please visit the Change for Health website at https://www.change4health.gov.hk/en/index.html.

Source: NCD Watch February 2023