Beer vs wine: nutrition compared

— not reported by USDA for this food.

— not reported by USDA for this food.

For health, our evidence points to the alcohol, not the drink. When a 2011 meta-analysis of drinking trials split its results by wine, beer and spirits, each looked like alcohol overall on heart-related blood markers. WHO Europe says no amount of alcohol is free of health effects, and the CDC says people who do not drink should not start for any reason.

Per 3.5 oz (100 g) wine has about twice the calories. Per usual pour it flips: a 12 fl oz beer comes to about 155 calories and a 5 fl oz glass of wine to about 123. A 12 oz beer at 5 percent is one US standard drink, about 14 g of alcohol. At 10 percent it counts as two.

Data from 76 cohorts linked alcohol to stomach cancer, 5 percent higher risk per 10 g a day, mostly through beer and liquor and not wine. WHO Europe says about half of alcohol-related cancers there occur in people who do not drink heavily.

Skip both if you are pregnant or might be, under 21, or cannot control how much you drink. With diabetes medicines alcohol can bring abnormally low blood sugar, and with MAOI antidepressants the tyramine in beer and red wine can push blood pressure dangerously high. Otherwise pick the one you enjoy and count your drinks.

Evidence behind this note

1. Level A In the 2011 meta-analysis, results stratified by drink type (wine, beer, spirits) were similar to the pooled alcohol results, so wine showed no special lipid effect. BMJ, 2011, Effect of alcohol consumption on biological markers associated with risk of coronary heart disease: systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies
2. Level E The WHO Regional Office for Europe says there is no safe amount of alcohol that does not affect health, and that alcohol is a toxic, dependence-producing substance classed as a Group 1 carcinogen. WHO Regional Office for Europe, news release: No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health (4 January 2023)
3. Level E CDC advises people who do not drink not to start for any reason. CDC, About Moderate Alcohol Use, last reviewed January 14, 2025
4. Level E The US alcohol institute (NIAAA) defines one standard drink as about 14 g of pure alcohol, the amount in a 12-ounce beer at 5% alcohol, so a 12-ounce craft beer at 10% counts as two drinks. NIAAA, What Is A Standard Drink?
5. Level C A meta-analysis of 76 prospective cohorts tied alcohol to a 5% higher gastric cancer risk per 10 g a day, with the association strongest for beer and liquor, with no strong association reported for wine. Eur J Cancer, 2015
6. Level E The WHO Regional Office for Europe states that about half of alcohol-attributable cancers in its region occur in people who do not drink heavily. WHO Regional Office for Europe, No level of alcohol consumption is safe for our health, 4 January 2023
7. Level E The CDC says there is no known safe amount of alcohol use during pregnancy and no safe time during pregnancy to drink, and it names beer alongside wine and liquor as able to cause harm. US CDC, About Alcohol Use During Pregnancy (page reviewed August 14, 2026)
8. Level E Wine is an alcoholic drink. CDC defines moderate drinking as two drinks or less in a day for men and one drink or less in a day for women, says people younger than 21 and people who are or might be pregnant should not drink at all, and states that even less than 1 drink per day can raise the risk of certain cancers. CDC, About Moderate Alcohol Use
9. Level E The 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans say to consume less alcohol for better overall health, and that pregnant women, people recovering from alcohol use disorder or unable to control how much they drink, and people on medicines that interact with alcohol should avoid it completely. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 (HHS, USDA), January 2026
10. Level E The US alcohol institute (NIAAA) lists stomach bleeding and ulcers, and liver damage with acetaminophen, as possible reactions when alcohol is mixed with pain relievers, and abnormally low blood sugar when it is mixed with diabetes medicines. NIAAA, Harmful Interactions: Mixing Alcohol with Medicines (brochure, revised 2014)
11. Level E The US alcohol institute (NIAAA) says MAOI antidepressants such as tranylcypromine and phenelzine can cause serious heart-related side effects with alcohol, and that the risk of dangerously high blood pressure rises when MAOIs meet tyramine, which it says is found in beer. NIAAA, Harmful Interactions: Mixing Alcohol with Medicines (brochure, revised 2014)

Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.

Read more about these foods

• Beer: what was actually tested
• Red wine and the heart: what the trials measured

What the studies say

• Does beer raise cholesterol? Not LDL. The rise is HDL, and it comes from alcohol
• Does red wine affect cholesterol? HDL rises a little, as with any alcohol

Rankings and guides

• Protein: what it does and how much you need
• Fiber: what it does and how much you need
• Which foods are highest in protein?
• Beer: full nutrition facts
• Wine: full nutrition facts

• Beer: USDA FoodData Central, Alcoholic beverage, beer, regular, all, FDC ID 168746 · full profile · all forms of beer
• Wine: USDA FoodData Central, Alcoholic beverage, wine, table, all, FDC ID 173185 · full profile · all forms of wine

Each food is one USDA entry, chosen as it is usually eaten. Other cuts, brands and preparations differ; the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.