The Science Behind Why Beer Gives You A Beer Belly

It can happen to anybody. One day, you wake up and find yourself with a big old beer belly and it feels like there’s just nothing you can do about it. The YouTube show Head Squeeze points out that it’s not as simple as just drinking beer though, there’s all kind of factors that contribute to that gut.

Drinking a lot of beer is obviously a small part since a beer usually has 150 calories in it. However, it’s also because your liver works overtime to burn off the alcohol and doesn’t have the time to work off the rest of the food you’re eating. Likewise, beer tends to be associated with a lifestyle that increases the chances you’ll overindulge on food. It’s also just boring old age and gender. When you hit 35, your metabolism slows down, and men tend to carry that weight on the waist. It’s not actually because of the beer itself that the fat tends to form around the gut, it’s just the excess calories.

What Causes Beer Belly? [YouTube via BBC Future]