Beer bellies revisited

July 8, 8:58 AMBeer ExaminerCharlie Papazian

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Humpty Dumpty had a belly that was not at all a beer belly.  It wasn't
the beer he was drinking, it was a matter of his genes. Illustration by Steve
Lawing, from Homebrewers Companion by Charlie Papazian.

Did they drink that much beer even in olden times?  I always look at century old paintings and wondered about those roly-poly folks dancing in the streets or sitting on a stool, smoking a pipe.  Did all those overweight, jolly or austere men and women drink so much beer that they had beer bellies even in then. 

400 and 500 years ago you couldn’t go down to you local market and pick up a 30-pack of cheap beer.  You probably had to work at drinking a lot of beer, yet the belly has been with us for ages.   It turns out a recent study by the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition may slim down your chances of getting a belly from too much beer.

No it doesn’t matter whether your wearing jeans or not, but evidently the study indicates that it might have something to do with your genes.

The UK’s Mail reports in part,

“For scientists have discovered that the so-called 'beer belly' is not caused by consuming alcohol – but more to do with genetics.

A study of thousands of beer drinkers found that although people who drink regularly are more likely to put on weight, they do not necessarily accumulate fat around the abdomen.”  

This isn’t the first time this Examiner.com column has addressed the myth of the beer belly.  My post  “Don’t tell me beer is fattening” over a year ago still seems relevant and  on the right track. As you can see I didn’t need a sophisticated and expensive study to come to my conclusions.

Yep, there’s no denying that beer drinkers who regularly drink a lot will put on weight.  They say in the recent study one liter a day may contribute to weight gain.  That’s about 1 quart or a little less than three 12 oz. servings. 

Beware of generalizations. One size does not fit all.   You’re undeniably a different person if you weigh in at 140 pounds rather than 250 pounds.  Male or female also is a factor, because guess what, our bodies are different.   Are we still generalizing?  80, 120, 200 calories per 12 oz serving is a choice these days.  So calories are undeniably dictated by the kind of beer you’re enjoying.   If you don’t believe this has any effect on you, take a look at the Brewers Association’s Estimated Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) Calculator  to begin appreciating various factors effecting BAC. 

There’s more about enjoying beer responsibly at Savor the Flavor page of beertown.org

The world has got to get past the notion that beer is a sin.  Enjoy it responsibly and the quality of life improves.
  

From the What is Good Beer series - Revisited:  Organic beer and addressing the environment