Drinking beer often involves increasing body fat, especially around the abdomen. This is often called "beer belly."
But is beer really causing belly fat? This article will give some comments.
What is beer?
Beer is an alcoholic drink made from cereals, such as barley, wheat or rye, which is then fermented with yeast .
The taste of beer comes from hops, creating great flavors because they taste quite bitter, while balancing sweetness from sugar in cereals.
Some beers also have fruit flavors, herbs or spices .
Beer is brewed in a process of 5 steps:
- Incubation of malt: Cereals are heated, dried then cracked.
- Soak in hot water: Grains are soaked in water to release sugar. As a result, we have a sugar solution called "alcoholic drink."
- Boil: The wine is boiled and the hops are added to taste the beer.
- Ferment: The yeast is added to the mixture and the wine is fermented to form alcohol and carbon dioxide.
- Bottling: Beer is bottled and left for long.
The concentration of heavy or light beer depends on the amount of alcohol it contains, measured in units of preferred alcohol content (ABV). ABV refers to the amount of alcohol in about 100 ml of beverages, expressed as a percentage.
Alcohol content in beer usually ranges from 4-6%. However, it can range from very light (0.5%) to extremely strong (40%).
The main beers include light beer, dark beer, light beer, white beer, and the most popular type is larger beer. Different types of concoctions were made when producers changed the types of grain, tempering time and flavor they used.
Summary: Beer is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting cereals with yeast. There are many different beers that vary in strength, color and flavor.
Nutritional composition of beer
The nutritional value of beer may vary by type. However, below is the nutrient content of 1 part of normal beer (355 ml), with an alcohol content of about 4% :
- Calories: 153
- Alcohol: 14 grams
- Carb: 13 grams
- The protein: 2 grams
- Fat: 0 grams
Beer also contains a small amount of micronutrients, including sodium and potassium magnesium . However, it is not a good source of nutrients, because you will need to drink large amounts to meet the daily requirement.
It is important to note that beers with higher alcohol content also contain more calories than. The reason is because alcohol contains about 7 calories per gram.
This level is higher than both carb and protein (4 calories / gram) but lower than fat (9 calories / gram).
Summary: Beer is high in carb and alcohol but other nutrients are low. The caloric content in beer depends on its strength - the higher the alcohol content, the more calories it contains.
Beer can increase fat in three ways
It is said that drinking beer can increase belly fat in some ways.
They include consuming excess calories, preventing your body from burning fat and increasing the amount of phytoestrogen in your diet.
Here are three main reasons why drinking beer is a particularly effective job in increasing belly fat:
1. It increases calorie intake
Each gram of beer contains the same amount of calories as a soft drink, so it has a very high potential to add more calories to your diet .
Some studies also show that alcohol consumption can increase appetite in a short time, making you eat more if you don't drink alcohol .
Furthermore, it has been shown that people do not always compensate for alcohol consumption by eating less .
This means drinking beer regularly can add a significant amount of calories to your diet.
2. Beer can prevent fat burning
Drinking alcoholic beverages can prevent your body from burning fat. That's because your body prioritizes the resolution of alcohol over other types of energy, including body fat.
In theory, drinking alcohol regularly can contribute to increased body fat.
However, test studies have given mixed results. In the long term, drinking beer regularly but with moderate amounts of less than 500 ml per day will not increase body weight or belly fat ( 8).
However, if drinking more than that can lead to weight gain significant over time.
3. Beer contains phytoestrogen
Hops are used to make beer have its own unique flavor.
This plant is known to have a concentration High, a mixture of plants that can simulate female sex hormones in the human body .
Because of this amount of phytoestrogens, it is thought that hops may alter hormones in men, thereby increasing the risk of abdominal fat accumulation.
However, even though men may be exposed to higher levels of phytoestrogen, it is not known how these compounds affect weight or belly fat .
Summary: Beer can increase calories consumed and prevent the body from burning fat. The effect of phytoestrogen on abdominal fat has not been clarified.
Is beer really making you belly fat?
Fat stored around the abdomen is one of the most dangerous forms of fat for health.
Scientists call them visceral fat .
Visceral fat has a strong mechanism of action, which means it can affect hormones in the body.
This can change how the body works and increase the risk of diseases like metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and cancer .
Even people with normal weight can increase the risk of these health problems if they have a lot of belly fat
Some studies suggest that drinking a lot of alcoholic beverages, such as beer, can increase belly fat .
In fact, a study showed that men who drink more than 3 glasses of beer every day 80% have more belly fat than people who don't drink that much .
Interestingly, other studies have suggested that moderate intake of beer, less than 500 ml per day may not be at risk. ).
However, other factors may also contribute to this difference. For example, people who drink less beer often have a healthier lifestyle than those who drink a lot of beer .
Most studies show that drinking beer is associated with both increased waist circumference and body weight. This indicates that drinking beer not only increases fat around the abdomen but also makes you fatter .
The risk of weight gain may be higher in people who are already overweight compared to people with normal weight .
In general, it is thought that the more beer you drink, the more likely you are to gain weight and have a higher beer belly .
Summary: Too much beer is associated with an increased risk of weight gain and abdominal obesity.
Men are at higher risk than women
The relationship between weight gain and alcohol consumption was stronger in men than women. This is because it is thought that men tend to drink more than women, perhaps about three times more .
Men are more likely which means they accumulate fat around the abdomen when gaining weight .
In addition, men tend to drink more beer than women. This is quite important because beer contains more calories than other alcoholic drinks.
For example, 45 ml of spirits contains about 97 calories, and 145 ml of red wine contains about 125 calories. 355 ml of beer contains more than both, plus up to 153 calories .
Another reason men have a higher risk of abdominal obesity is because of the influence of alcoholic beverages on testosterone levels of male sex hormones. Drinking alcoholic beverages like beer is said to reduce testosterone levels .
This is very important because low testosterone levels can increase the risk of weight gain, especially around the abdomen .
In fact, 52% of obese men have the lowest testosterone levels in the normal range .
This study shows that men tend to develop more beer belly.
Summary: Men tend to drink more than women, leading to more weight gain. Drinking alcoholic beverages also reduces testosterone levels, increasing the risk of abdominal obesity
What other types of alcoholic drinks have belly fat?
Beer is most likely to contribute to belly fat through excess calories it adds to your diet.
Types of drinks available alcohol Other like spirits and wine have fewer calories than standard compared to beer. This means they are less likely to cause weight gain and abdominal obesity.
Interestingly, some studies show that drinking a moderate amount of wine will help reduce body weight (35).
The reason for this result is still unclear, although it is believed that people who drink wine often have a healthier and more balanced diet than those who drink beer and spirits .
Moreover, studies have shown that the amount of alcohol you consume and the frequency of consumption is also important to your waistline.
In fact, one of the most dangerous actions that causes beer belly is continuous lightness. Studies show that drinking more than 4 drinks at once increases the risk of belly fat, no matter which drink you are drinking .
In addition, one study found that people who drank an alcoholic unit a day had the least fat. People with low total intake, but drinking 4 or more units per day still have a high risk of weight gain .
Summary: Other types of alcoholic beverages have lower calories than beer. However, drinking too much of any alcoholic beverage will put you at higher risk of developing belly fat.
How to get rid of beer belly
The best way to get rid of beer belly is to adjust your diet and exercise.
If you are drinking too much, you should think about limiting or removing it completely.
Try to avoid drinking or drinking too much alcohol for a day or two.
Unfortunately, there is no reasonable diet to reduce belly fat. However, diets containing less processed meat, sugary drinks and refined cereal products can help you have a more compact waist .
So, if you are trying to lose weight and improve your health, switch to diet based on raw, unprocessed, reduced sugar foods .
Exercise is also an extremely effective way for both men and women to reduce belly fat. Cardio exercises and intense exercises can support this ( 51).
In addition, exercise has a lot more amazing health benefits than weight loss, which is one of the best things you can do to improve your health.
To learn more, see 20 great tips to reduce belly fat .
Summary: The best way to eliminate beer belly is to reduce the amount of alcohol in your body, exercise regularly and improve your diet.
Main message
Drinking beer can increase weight in any way - including belly fat.
Keep in mind that the more you drink, the higher your risk of weight gain.
It seems that drinking a moderate amount of beer every day (or less) is not related to having "beer belly."
However, if you drink a lot of alcohol or drink alcohol often, you are at a higher risk of abdominal obesity, as well as other serious health problems.
To reduce the risk of weight gain, make sure to drink alcohol within the recommended limits and have a healthy, active lifestyle.
