Beer Belly: Is It Really Caused By Drinking Too Much Beer?

Beer belly, beer gut and beer pot – they all refer to the same thing: a fat stomach. Clinically, it’s called abdominal obesity or central obesity.

Have you ever wondered what causes beer belly? Or have you just accepted what most people say that it’s caused by drinking too much beer? I did a little research and here’s what I found out.

Beer belly is actually an excess in visceral fat, which is also known as organ fat. Beer belly is visceral fat that’s packed in between your internal organs and your torso.

What causes beer belly?

It’s actually net energy imbalance. This means that you’re consuming more calories than you can use. In simple terms, you’re eating (and drinking) too much.

However, genes and the environment also plays a role in obesity. But most of the time, it’s the sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits that’s the main cause.

So drinking too much beer does cause beer belly?

Actually, NOT REALLY.

According to Wikipedia, “There is little scientific evidence that beer drinkers are more prone to abdominal obesity… one of the few studies conducted on the subject did not find that beer drinkers are more prone to abdominal obesity than nondrinkers or drinkers of wine or spirits.”

I guess that’s good news for all beer drinkers out there.

But as always, moderation is the key. Remember, there is a strong correlation between obesity and cardiovascular disease.

So if ever you find yourself drinking too much beer (and eating too much pulutan), make sure you’ll hit the gym the next day and burn all those excess calories. 😀

Image Credit: Vee Dub