Drinking wine makes you eat ‘25% more’

Drinking a glass or two of wine before a meal could cause you to eat 25% more food, according to a recent study.

According to a report by Discover Magazine, a team of scientists had 11 men drink a half bottle of wine, in this case a Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz, either before or during a two-course lunch of garlic bread and Kraft pizza to test its affect on appetite.

They found those who had drunk the wine as an aperitif ate 25% more food than those who had not drunk at all, with those who drank wine with lunch eating 22% more food.

The report said: “To compare the effects on appetite and energy intake (EI) within a meal and across four days of drinking wine either before (aperitif) or with (co-ingestion) a meal, 11 men attended the laboratory on three occasions.

“On each occasion participants were given breakfast in the laboratory then 3 h later returned for a two course (garlic bread, pizza) lunch, then recorded food intake for the remainder of the day and the next 3 days.”

The study also noted that having wine as an aperitif significantly influenced the subjects ratings of light headedness and fatigue suggesting that the effects of wine on appetite are immediate, and stimulate food intake early in the meal.

It added: “Total EI during the test days was significantly higher than during subsequent days revealing a tendency to overeat in the laboratory, exacerbated by drinking wine before or with lunch. However, lean healthy men adjusted total EI on the days following the laboratory in all conditions.”