Drinkers aren't just bending their elbows: according to a new study, the more alcohol people drink, the more likely they might be to exercise.
"Alcohol users not only exercised more than abstainers, but the differential actually increased with more drinking," said lead author Michael French, Ph.D. "There is a strong association between all levels of drinking and both moderate and vigorous physical activity. However, these results do not suggest that people should use alcohol to boost their exercise programs, as the study was not designed to determine whether alcohol intake actually caused an increase in exercise."
French is a professor of health economics at the University of Miami. The study appears in the September/October issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion.
French and colleagues analyzed data from the 2005 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a yearly telephone survey of roughly 230,000 Americans. They uncovered a strong statistical association between measures of both alcohol use and moderate to vigorous exercise.
Among women, those currently using alcohol exercised 7.2 minutes more per week than those who abstained. Relative to abstainers, the more alcohol used, the longer the person exercised. Specifically, light, moderate and heavy drinkers exercised 5.7, 10.1 and 19.9 minutes more per week. Overall, drinking was associated with a 10.1 percent increase in the probability of engaging in vigorous physical activity. The results for men were similar.