Q: Is there
any truth to the phrase “beer belly?”
A: The phrase
is generally associated with men that have large stomachs. It implies a direct relationship between beer
consumption and stomach size.
There is some
evidence that increased alcohol intake leads to larger waist sizes, but the
main culprit is calories. When you
consume more calories than you burn, the excess calories are stored as fat.
Age, sex, and
hormone levels determine where the fat is stored:
•
Men tend
to store fat in the midsection.
•
As
people age, they lose muscle mass. Less
muscle mass means a lower metabolism.
Lower metabolism with no change in caloric intake leads to fat storage.
•
Hormone
levels decline in men and women as they age.
The decline results in more fat storage at the midsection for both men
and women.
To reduce or
eliminate a beer belly you need to burn more calories than you consume. One of the most efficient methods to achieve
this caloric deficit is by increasing your lean muscle mass through strength
training. More muscle mass means a
higher metabolism and an increase in the number of calories burned by the body.