Alcohol just as fattening as junk food: Aussie study

An investigation by the Cancer Council of Victoria into the hidden kilojoules in alcohol drinks revealed that some of the most popular drinks have kilojoule counts similar to chocolate bars and doughnuts.[Photo/Xinhua]

Alcohol consumption is just as fattening as junk food, an Australian study has found.

An investigation by the Cancer Council of Victoria into the hidden kilojoules in alcohol drinks revealed that some of the most popular drinks have kilojoule counts similar to chocolate bars and doughnuts.

Premixed spirits were the worst offenders, clocking in at over 1,000 kilojoules (kJ), or more than 10 percent of the daily recommended kJ intake, in every drink.

Alison McAleese, a dietitian and LiveLighter campaigner, said many people did not realize alcohol was high in kilojoules and could lead to weight gain, increasing their risk of cancer.

"Just one can of rum and cola or vodka and citrus contains around 1000kJ. If you're having four or more of these on a night out, you're adding a whopping 4000kJs to your diet. That's almost half the daily intake of the average Australian adult," McAleese told News Limited on Tuesday.

"To put it into perspective, 4000kJs is the equivalent of eating either 20 chicken nuggets, 12 chocolate ice-creams, three and a half cheeseburgers or five bowls of sugary cereal with milk. Most people wouldn't dream of eating such an excessive amount of junk food, yet many would easily drink the equivalent on a night out."

The study said that drinking one beer per day would add five kilograms of weight over the course of a year.

Craig Sinclair, a spokesperson for the Cancer Council of Victoria, said three out of five Victorian adults were drinking at levels that put them at risk of long-term harm.

"People who drink more than two standard drinks a day are risking more than just weight gain in the long-term," Sinclair said.

"There is strong evidence that alcohol is linked to cancer of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, stomach, liver, bowel and female breast.

"More than 3,200, or 2.8 percent, of the cases of cancer in Australia in 2010 were attributed to alcohol consumption and 3,900 to overweight or obesity."