Comparison Chart of Alcoholic Beverages

Although I’ve written several entries on the health benefits of wine consumption because of its resveratrol content, I hope the posts did not come across as promoting excessive alcohol consumption. I’d like to take this opportunity that while there are scientific evidence supporting the so-called French paradox, most suggest that moderate regular wine consumption is most beneficial. What does moderate mean? One glass? Two glasses? How big a glass?

And what about for those who are watching their alcohol consumption? The Consumer Federation of America (CFA) has published Alcohol Facts, a side-by-side comparison of the alcohol, calorie and carbohydrate content per serving of the top 26 domestic and imported alcoholic beverage brands sold in the US. According to their press release:

Designed to help consumers follow the Dietary Guidelines’ advice that men limit their consumption to two drinks a day and that women restrict their consumption to one drink per day, Alcohol Facts further explains what constitutes a “standard drink” — 12 ounces of regular beer, 5 ounces of wine and 1.5 ounces of 80-proof (40%) distilled spirits. According to the Dietary Guidelines, these amounts represent moderate drinking. Public health officials warn that consuming too much alcohol contributes to dependence, obesity and a range of diseases, such as liver cirrhosis and cancers of the upper gastrointestinal tract.

Want to know how much alcohol is in that bottle of Guinness or glass of Merlot? Click the image above to see a larger version, or download the poster here.