Someone told me that drinking beer will increase the size of our belly. Is it true? Since I don’t drink beer, I don’t have any idea about that.
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Are you referring to the size of the stomach or the excess fat around the waist area?– slyblotyCommented Jan 29, 2014 at 18:00
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@slybloty I'm referring to the size of the stomach– Sathiya Kumar V MCommented Jan 29, 2014 at 18:09
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2If that's the case, then any over consumption of anything (food especially) will cause the size of the stomach to increase in order to adapt to the large amounts ingurgitated.– slyblotyCommented Jan 29, 2014 at 18:15
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@slybloty Thanks for the comment.– Sathiya Kumar V MCommented Jan 29, 2014 at 18:24
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The current theory is that its not the beer itself, but -- together with the lifestyle of drinking much beer -- that you often eat more while drinking beer.– PlasmaHHCommented Feb 5, 2014 at 12:23
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6 Answers
Most beer has a lot of calories. Just like any other calorie intake, if you consume more than you burn, you will gain weight.
So, yes, drinking "too much" beer will "increase the size of belly". What "too much" means, however, is dependent on your other habits.
The typical "(beer | pot) (belly | gut)" is usually "Abdominal Obesity" which, by definition, means obesity in the abdominal area specifically, i.e. the belly.
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2You'd need a lot of beers to have a significant impact. There's more of an impact with what you eat when drinking. Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 17:42
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1Meh, sort of. I think that's part of it, but there are a lot of beers that have a fairly high calorie count - craft beers especially. It's really easy to get caught in the "But it's just liquid" trap. simplybeer.com gives you a handy table for estimating calories per beer: simplybeer.com/how-many-calories-are-in-my-beer . As you can see, a 6% or 7% beer can easily have 200 calories. Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 17:50
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1Not true about needing a lot of beers. Just a couple of beers a day @150 calories each can have you putting on 2.6lb/1.3 kilo extra per month. In a year that's 35lb/14 kilos. (3500 kcal in 1 lb fat.)– mdmaCommented Jan 29, 2014 at 19:22
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1It should be noted that the very Wikipedia page being linked to says, "A study has shown that alcohol consumption is directly associated with waist circumference and with a higher risk of abdominal obesity in men, but not in women, in the present population."– cHaoCommented Jan 29, 2014 at 19:48
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2skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/10853/… has another perspective. Commented Jan 30, 2014 at 0:44
A beer belly comes not so much from beer and the frequent drinking of it as it does with the food that is typically associated with beer (for example, burgers, pizza, etc... very high in calories).
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And from lack of exercise. Not a lot of drunk joggers out there.– mikeYCommented Jan 29, 2014 at 20:27
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1@mike I think being drunk is pretty much the only way you'd get me to go jogging. Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 20:30
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Joggers usually drink when they have finished jogging. Not before! And those drinkers who jog do it usually before drinking.– user150Commented Jan 29, 2014 at 22:14
Calories are calories. A typical middle-aged male needs about 2100 calories per day. Consuming more calories than this per day will increase your weight. If you drink four 12-ounce regular (5%) beers per day, you will add between 500-700 calories to your daily diet -- depending on the style of beer you consume, meaning its sugar content, which will vary with beer style. This calorie range translates into around 3500-5000 extra calories per week, which is equivalent to gaining about 1.0-1.4 lbs of weight per week if this calorie intake is above your body's minimum requirement (ie: 2100 x 7 days).
After 3 months you will have gained anywhere from 13-18 lbs. It doesn't matter what you eat or don't eat along with your beer. If your beer drinking brings you over the 2100 calorie per-day threshold, those calories will show up as fat in your body.
All of this assumes no exercise. If you are active and can burn off 300-500 calories a day through a combination of working out and regular body movement (general walking, going up and down stairs, prolonged upper-body activity), then you will cut into that calorie gain in proportion to your activity.
Drinking beer alone does not cause you to get a big belly, it's the amount food that goes along with it. People usually drink beer in the evening, and tend to eat a lot of food at the same time. And this is great and dandy, but what people forget about is that they eat late (here combined with drinking beer so even more calories), and then go straight to bed. The body does not have a chance to break down all of these calories, and instead all of this excess fat is being stored.
In short, the beer alone does not cause the fat, it's the food that goes along with it.
Yes it does! A beer belly is caused by excess calorie intake and reduced calorie expenditure because of a sedentary lifestyle. Read in detail: http://healthmeup.com/news-weight-loss/the-truth-about-beer-belly-fat/5947
Yes. Also taking up several glasses of beer in a day can increase your blood pressure level. People already suffering from high blood pressure are advised not to take in consumption at all. https://www.addictionrehabcenters.com/addiction-treatment/inpatient-rehab/
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Hi Pamela - welcome to the SE. Please can you add some explanation and a source into the initial part of your answer?– GamoraCommented Mar 26, 2020 at 12:04