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He Who Drinks More Gets More Exercise
But that doesn't mean you should chug to get healthy, say researchers
By Matt Cantor
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Posted Sep 1, 09 8:34 AM CDT
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(Newser)
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Though it doesn't explain the persistence of beer guts, moderate and heavy drinkers tend to exercise more than those who keep their booze consumption to a minimum, a new study suggests. Using government health data, researchers found that heavy drinkers—defined as men who tallied some 76 drinks a month, 46 for women—exercised, on average, about 20 minutes more weekly, while moderate drinkers exercised some 10 minutes more per week.
Why the link? Researchers believe it could be that heavier drinkers exercise more to fight calories from drinking, or that heavier drinkers are interested in a “sensation-seeking” way of life, Reuters notes. Of course, “we certainly would not advocate that abstainers should start drinking or light drinkers should start drinking heavily as a way to increase their exercise,” a researcher said.