Strange things happen in the world of diets. These two news stories are enjoying a lot of popularity overseas, but this time around they are based on a very unusual ingredient for losing weight : alcohol. More precisely, the so-called ” prosecco diet ” is depopulating . It is simply a matter of carving out a portion of your daily calories to be able to afford a glass of diet prosecco or two when you go out in the evening. But undoubtedly stranger is the second news that has inflamed the press in recent days: that gin raises the metabolism. 

THE DIETETIC PROSECCO
The “light” Gancia Prosecco, a 65-calorie prosecco per 100 ml, therefore 65 calories per glass, is very popular in English and American pubs.
In fact, prosecco as wine is always one of the recommended options if we have to have an aperitif, because it does not generally exceed 80 calories : but if we are on a diet, on the one hand it is better to avoid having an aperitif, or indulge in it only once a week; on the other hand, it is always preferable to drink a maximum of half a glass of red wine per meal (for women) and a glass of red wine for men, because red wine has many antioxidants that make it an ideal gluttony even in the context of a healthy dietand in fact it is part of the culture of our Mediterranean diet.
However, given the popularity of “diet prosecco” abroad, some wineries have gone to work to offer the same wine, with alternative names such as “skinny prosecco” or “skinny champagne” ( source ).

ALCOHOL IN THE DIET: WHY NOT?
Alcohol, however, remains alcohol, and drinking alcohol is something to be avoided absolutely if we want to lose weight , apart from the choice of red wine, in the doses I have recommended. The reasons are manifold. And it’s not about calories.
Alcohol in the diet should be avoided for two reasons: on the one hand, it worsens the metabolism, making the body less capable of burning sugars; on the other hand it messes up the hunger and satiety hormones, in particular it has a role on galanin and ghrelin. Which in turn play a role in metabolic slowdown ( source ). But let’s move on to the other news, undoubtedly more controversial.

GIN IN DIET RAISES METABOLISM
The news is making the rounds of the international press. According to a research published in Food & Nature, by Latvia’s University in Sigulda, gin would raise the metabolism . Too bad the news is false: a huge hoax released for April Fool’s Day this year in Prima magazine , to which newspapers have given credit believing it to be true, including the Daily Mail.
It took Men’s Health magazine to reiterate the obvious : no, gin doesn’t raise your metabolism, drinking gin won’t make you lose weight, just look up the source of the article and read it entirely to understand it was April Fool’s Day .