Consider being obese or regularly consuming a moderate amount of alcohol, and try to envision which situation causes more liver damage. If you guessed that alcohol wreaks more hepatic havoc, as many healthcare professionals assumed, you might be wrong. According to new research, obesity is worse that moderate wine-drinking for your liver.

Scientists from Linkoping University in Sweden recently announced this notion in a recent issue of the journal Annals of Medicine. The team noted that in addition to the condition of being severely overweight, insulin resistance is more harmful to one’s liver than an occasional drink.

To test their theory, the team asked a wide range of adults to consume one to two glasses of red wine per day over a three month period. Compared to obese adults who abstained from alcohol, those that drank red wine were less prone to fatty liver disease.

Furthermore, wine-drinkers had 16 percent lower levels of low-density lipoprotein, also known as bad cholesterol. The mechanism behind this effect was not determined, though previous studies have shown that red wine contains polyphenols, which have an anti-inflammatory effect.

For individuals who want some of the benefits of wine without the buzz, vitamin supplements may provide polyphenols, as well as vital vitamins and nutrients.