Calories from alcohol, soda nearly even

Adults get almost as many empty calories from booze as from soft drinks, a government study found.

Soda and other sweetened drinks -- the focus of obesity-fighting public health campaigns -- are the source of about 6 percent of the calories adults consume, on average. Alcoholic beverages account for about 5 percent, the new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found.

The study, released yesterday, found:

About one-third of men and one-fifth of women consumed calories from beer, wine or liquor.

The average guy drinks 150 calories from alcohol each day, or the equivalent of a can of Budweiser.

The average woman drinks about 50 calories, or roughly half a glass of wine.

Men drink mostly beer. For women, there was no clear favorite among alcoholic beverages. -- AP