A study at the Brigham & Women's hospital in Boston, USA, is reporting that women how enjoy a glass of wine after work are less likely to gain weight than those women who drink mineral water or soft drinks.

The research, looking at 19,000 women showed that moderate female drinkers have a lower risk of obesity than those women who don't drink alcohol. The researchers suggest that the calories contained in alcohol might not be as fattening as calories found in food.

The 13 year study found that all women in this period gained some weight but that teetotallers gained more weight than those women who drank moderate amounts of wine. As an aside the study also found that not all alcohol consumers responded the same way; beer and spirits were linked with the highest amounts of weight gain compared to red wine (the lowest weight gain) and white wine.

The suggestion of this report indicates that, contrary to popular belief, drinking alcohol doesn't direct contribute to weight gain.