The real reason why a bigger wine glass makes us drink more
IF you are worried about your drinking, try buying a new set of wine glasses, experts say.
They have found that bigger glasses make people drink more – even if the volume of alcohol in them is the same.
The Cambridge University scientists suspect that the size of the goblet fools the brain into thinking there is more to drink, encouraging you to down it more quickly.
Staff served the same amounts of wine in different size glasses in an experiment conducted in a bar. They found that sales went up by nearly 10 per cent when larger glasses were used.
The wine was sold in regular 125ml and large 175ml servings but the glasses used were switched at fortnightly intervals, varying between the standard empty size of 300ml, a larger 370ml glass and a smaller 250ml glass. The Government-funded research team, which included scientists from Bristol University, found that the volume of wine purchased daily was 9.4 per cent higher when put in larger glasses than when it was served in standard glasses. However, sales did not change when the team switched to the smaller glasses.
Dr Rachel Pechey, of the Behaviour and Health Research Unit at Cambridge, said: ‘We found that increasing the size of wine glasses, even without increasing the amount of wine, leads people to drink more. It’s not obvious why this should be the case, but one reason may be that larger glasses change our perceptions of the amount of wine, leading us to drink faster and order more.
‘But it’s interesting that we didn’t see the opposite effect when we switched to smaller wine glasses.’
Study author Professor Theresa Marteau, whose work is published in the journal BMC Public Health, said the Government should consider implementing maximum glass sizes.
She said: ‘ This study suggests that avoiding the use of larger wine glasses could reduce the amount that people drink.
‘We need more research to confirm this effect, but if it is the case, then we will need to think how this might be implemented. For example, could it be an alcohol licensing requirements that all wine glasses have to be below a certain size?’
Growing evidence suggest that drinking even moderately is a major risk factor for diseases including obesity, heart problems and cancer.
Health experts are desperate to reduce the amount we drink. Earlier this year the Government’s chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, published tough new guidelines warning there is no safe level of drinking.
She recommended that men reduce their maximum drinking levels to that recommended for women – just 14 units a week, the equivalent of about six pints of beer or seven standard glasses of wine.
Amanda McLean, director of World Cancer Research Fund, said: ‘This is an interesting study and reflects evidence that already exists around food portions, where bigger plates tend to lead to people eating more. Alcohol increases the risk of a number of different cancers including breast, stomach and liver.
‘In fact, around 24,000 cancer cases could be prevented every year in the UK if no one drank alcohol. If people are going to drink, they should try to be alcohol savvy. For example, pick a small glass of wine, or a bottle of beer instead of a pint.’
‘Encourages us to down it faster’