The beer belly getting you down? Still parked on the couch and wanting to shed some kilos?

Stop for a minute and forget about it - new research suggests it's healthy.

While it is widely believed that beer is fattening, new scientific evidence from the United Kingdom suggests it has "nutritional and wellbeing benefits" which are at least similar to wine.

A report was commissioned by the British Beer and Pub Association to see whether beer was responsible for more weight gain than other alcoholic drinks, including wine.

It found that there was growing scientific support that moderate consumption of beer could be associated with health benefits.

It also found that 100ml of a 5 per cent lager contained 43 calories, compared to the 84 calories of the same quantity of a 12 per cent white wine. The rule of thumb was, the higher the alcohol content, the higher the calories.

For Stephen McLachlan, of Timaru, the pleasure of beer is in the nutritional value.

"Once a week, on a Friday and eight maximum," he says of his drinking habits.

"I like the fact that it is very refreshing; it makes me happy."

To beer's detractors, he says they should try drinking it.

His wife Sarah has a different opinion, however.

"She thinks I drink too much [beer] so I've changed over to bourbon," he says.

"He's giving up and getting fit this year," she says.

- © Fairfax NZ News