Beer bellies – scientific fact or science fiction?
Reported September 04, 2009
It’s been a long held belief that people (especially men) who drink a lot of beer will get the proverbial ‘beer gut’ or ‘beer belly’. This widely held assumption has been based more on myth than scientific proof.
Recently, a group in Germany published their finding from an 8 ½ year study. Beer drinking habits of over 20,000 men and women were studied. The findings confirmed some of what we suspected all along.
Beer consumption did contribute to an increase in waist circumference, but was also linked with weight gain in general. The association for belly gain was stronger in men than in women and stronger for those who drank larger amounts. Not surprisingly, reducing beer consumption led to some decrease in waist circumference (although not significant) and weight.
Another European study (Bobak, et. al), released at this week ‘s European Society of Cardiology meeting, found that binge drinking (of any alcohol) was associated with increased waist circumference.
Alcohol of all types is often to blame for weight gain. It goes down quickly and easily and is often consumed in addition to (rather than instead of) calories from other foods. Those drinking regularly have greater potential for weight gain.
Weight gain in the waist is more strongly related to health problems like heart disease than weight gain in the hip area. Where you gain (waist vs. hips) is largely determined by genetics and gender. Men more frequently gain their waist, women more frequently in their hips.
If you’re a frequent imbiber, consider this: Every 8 oz beer, 4 oz wine or 1 ½ oz of hard liquor (before mixers) is about 100 calories. Adding just one of these each day can mean adding 10 ½ pounds by the end of the year. On the flip side, cutting out just one of these drinks each day could mean losing the same 10 ½ pounds!
Considering that most beer is 12 oz and wine is 6 oz, this means we’re really talking about more like 15 ½ pounds a year instead of 10 ½. You can double that if you’re having two drinks each day.
Cutting back can be an easy way to lose some unwanted weight. If you’re one of those people who gains in the waist, you can also lower your heart disease risk while you’re at it!