Xmas drinking impact measured

A survey has revealed that young adults in the UK will consume up to 4,000 extra calories through drinking at festive parties this Christmas.

The extra calorific intake equates to around 30 medium glasses of wine or 22 pints of lager spread out over the festive period.

A quarter of 18- to 24-year-olds and a third of 25- to 34-year-olds also told the survey, funded by Cancer Research UK, that they had skipped a meal to “make room” in their daily calorie allowance for alcohol.

A third of those polled also spent more money than they intended to during last year’s festivities, with three in 10 putting it down to spending more on alcohol.

Anthony Newman, director of marketing at Cancer Research UK, said: “December is upon us again and, for most of us, this means a surge of parties and nights out.

“All the socialising during this time could result in us Brits consuming far more calories than we realise through alcohol alone as it’s sometimes difficult to know the exact calorie content of what we are drinking.”

But with Christmas cocktails like these – and festive wine like these – tempting the eyes of revellers, who can blame them!