Two glasses of wine have more calories than a BURGER

Most of us try to stick to lean, nutritious meals when watching our weight.

But all that hard work could be undone with a free hand on the wine bottle.

That’s because just two glasses can contain more calories than a McDonald’s burger – and almost an entire day’s recommended sugar intake, a study reveals.

Researchers analysed 30 bottles of red, white, rose, fruit and sparkling wine from the top ten leading wine brands in the UK.

They found that a bottle can contain up to 59g of sugar and 598 calories. Only one in five of the wines showed calorie content on the label. 

None displayed sugar content – information required for all non-alcoholic drinks. Alcohol Health Alliance UK, which commissioned the analysis from an independent laboratory, is now calling for better alcohol labelling.

That’s because just two glasses can contain more calories than a McDonald’s burger – and almost an entire day’s recommended sugar intake, a study reveals. 

The alliance, comprising over 60 organisations including royal medical colleges, said the absence of this information means drinkers are ‘being kept in the dark’ about decisions that affect their health. 

Government guidelines recommend adults have no more than 30g of added sugar per day. But it is almost possible to exceed this by drinking just two medium glasses of some of the most popular wines. 

This much wine also contains more calories than a McDonald’s hamburger, which has 250 calories.

Notably, lower-strength wines tended to contain the most sugar.

Just two medium glasses of some of the most popular wines contain more calories than a McDonald’s hamburger, which has 250 calories. Notably, lower-strength wines tended to contain the most sugar (File image)

The alliance’s Professor Sir Ian Gilmore said: ‘Alcohol’s current exemption from food and drink labelling rules is absurd.’ 

He noted that alcohol is linked to obesity and seven types of cancer. He said a planned Government consultation on alcohol labelling, which officials committed to in 2020, must be published without delay.

Miles Beale, of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, said it would be better if nutritional information was published online rather than on labels. 

He said WSTA members were ‘committed to ensuring relevant and easily understandable health and content information is available’.