A long-treasured belief may be heading to the myth graveyard: New research shows that beer doesn’t cause a big “beer belly.”
An eight-year study of more than 20,000 beer drinkers was published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study, which included 7,876 men and 12,749 women, found that, although it was true that the heaviest drinkers — those who drank more than a quart a day — gained the most weight, that gain didn't necessarily accumulate in the belly.
When researchers measured beer drinkers to discover their waist-to-hip ratio, they found the heavier drinkers had no more chance of a “beer belly” than the lighter drinkers.
So where did beer get its “beer belly” reputation? It turns out that beer is a great appetite stimulant. People who drink beer are likely to chow down more, and all of those additional calories pile on the additional weight.
But even so, the majority of the extra weight doesn’t land in the belly area. Blame that on genetics.
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