My neighbor\u2019s hobby is visiting various breweries \u2014 locally, and wherever he might be while traveling. Usually a few times a week, we get together in the late afternoon and discuss things in general and often solve some of the world\u2019s problems over a couple of beers. Recently, during those sessions, he\u2019s been drinking iced tea. I didn\u2019t think much about it for a while, but I asked him why no beer\u2026 he told me that he was trying to lose some weight and he was cutting out beer for a while. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve alway heard that drinking beer will give you a \u201cbeer belly.\u201d I\u2019ve never thought much about it, but I know some beer drinkers that definitely have a beer belly. But \u2014 I know beer drinkers that definitely don\u2019t have a whopping waistline. So, I figured this called for some extensive research. After all, it is an important topic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Czech Republic is the world champion in per capita beer consumption. In 2007 a team of Czech researchers studied 2,000 male and female beer drinkers. They found no direct link between obesity and the amount of beer one consumes. Obviously, that doesn\u2019t mean that beer can\u2019t make you fat \u2014 it can. Beer contains plenty of calories, but beer on its own apparently isn\u2019t the culprit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 1992, Swiss physiologists determined that alcohol in the bloodstream can slow the body\u2019s ability to burn fat by about 30 percent. That means that high-fat foods become even more powerful when combined with alcohol. And if you think about it, in a room full of beer drinkers, a plate of salad doesn\u2019t get much attention but bowls of potato chips and cheeseburgers usually disappear pretty fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I also found a recent study in Italy that suggests that some men are genetically predisposed to develop a sizable midsection \u2014 doesn\u2019t matter what they choose to eat or drink.\u00a0
So, the (my) conclusion is that beer can play a role in the development of a beer belly \u2014 but, it\u2019s not a requirement to get one.
Not sure my neighbor will agree with my findings\u2026\u2026
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My neighbor\u2019s hobby is visiting various breweries \u2014 locally, and wherever he might be while traveling. Usually a few times a week, we get together in the late afternoon and discuss things in general and often solve some of the … Continue reading