South Africa is grappling with an obesity crisis. Nearly half of adults are overweight or obese. Public discussion often focuses on ultra-processed foods and sugary drinks as reasons for weight gain. But there’s another source of calories that’s often overlooked: alcoholic drinks.
Alcohol contains nearly twice as much energy per gram as carbohydrates or protein. Many alcoholic beverages also contain leftover sugars and other carbohydrates that were not fully converted into alcohol during fermentation. These contribute extra calories on top of those supplied by the alcohol itself. In Australia, for example, a 330ml bottle of cider was shown to contain as much as 724kJ of energy. This is more than twice the energy content of the average sugar-sweetened soft drink in South Africa. Drinking may also increase appetite and encourage the consumption of high-calorie foods.
