Alcohol Calories Nearly Equal Soda’s for US Adults

Hemera/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — The holiday season is generally a time we let ourselves overdo it a bit when it comes to drinking alcohol. But did you ever wonder how many calories in your diet come from booze?
 
You might be surprised.
 
On a typical day, one-third of men and 18 percent of women consume calories from alcoholic beverages. Now a study from the National Health and Nutrition Survey finds that American adults get almost as many empty calories from alcohol as they do from soft drinks.
 
Soda and other sweetened beverages are already the heavies in campaigns against obesity. Nearly 20 percent of men and six percent of women take in about 300 calories per day from alcohol.
 
That’s:

• two or more 12-ounce beers
• more than two and a half glasses of wine, or
• more than 4.5 ounces of liquor.

Furthermore, men take in more calories from alcohol than women — and younger adults more than older adults. And beer is the biggest single source of alcoholic calories in men.
 
So when someone asks “who’s counting?” — Remember to keep track of calories, not just drinks.
 
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio