Have years of excessive beer consumption transformed your six-pack into a keg? If you suffer from a "beer belly," you are not alone. It appears that beer drinkers all over the world have a propensity to gain weight, particularly as they age and especially if they are male.
But is a "beer belly" truly caused by drinking? Not every beer drinker possesses these. So what actually gives rise to the dreaded paunch in men and some women?
Contrary to its nickname, "beer belly," the accumulation of abdominal fat is typically the result of a number of harmful behaviours. There are several factors that affect stomach size, from a bad diet and too many calories to inactivity and hormonal changes. Alcohol can also influence how much fat is stored, though it's not usually the cause.
Does Beer Cause Fat Around Belly?
Too many calories, not necessarily beer, can cause your tight waistline to sag into a belly that protrudes over your trousers. Alcohol, sweet drinks, or excessive food portions are all sources of calories that can lead to belly fat gain. Alcohol does, however, appear to have a special relationship with belly fat. Alcohol consumption generally results in larger waistlines because the liver burns alcohol instead of fat when you consume alcohol.
Due to how simple it is to consume too many calories from alcohol, beer is also blamed. The average beer contains 150 calories, and if you drink several at once, you risk major calorie excess.
Don't forget the calories in the stuff you eat while drinking those beers, either. Alcohol can make you feel more hungry. Furthermore, the food available when drinking beer at a pub or party is frequently fatty fare like pizza, wings and other fried dishes.
Why Mostly Men?
Alcohol consumption and weight increase are associated more strongly in men than in women. This is believed to be the result of men often consuming up to three times as much alcohol as women.
Men are also far more likely to have an android fat distribution, which means that when they acquire weight, they tend to deposit fat around the abdomen.
Men also tend to drink beer more frequently than women. Given that beer includes more calories than many other alcohol sources, this might be significant.