Beer really promotes a beer belly?

Expert explains how fast beer leads to a big belly
Who drinks a lot of beer gets a beer belly. This is a common assumption, which sounds a bit simple at first, but obviously not that farfetched. Because a thick "Plautze" and a glass of Pils in hand, is actually not an unusual combination. But can this also prove nutritional science? The expert Angela Altenburg clarifies.

Occasional glass of beer does not make you fat
"Do not drink so much beer, or you'll soon have a real beer belly!" Many people assume that drinking regular beer increases the risk of getting fat. But is this assumption correct? "Yes," says Angela Altenburg, dietician at the Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology at the Hannover Medical School talking to the news agency "dpa".

Beer makes you fat and produces a beer belly. Image: Gina Sanders - fotolia

Additional food through appetizing effect
But "of course, everything is always a matter of dose, and occasionally a beer makes sure no beer whimper," adds the expert. Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that even a glass has a very high nutritional value: "A small beer, ie 0.3 liters, already delivers about 125 calories," said Altenburg. And it usually does not stay that way because "beer also has an appetite-stimulating effect, which is why more and possibly more greasy and therefore higher-calorie food is consumed more often."

Increased risk of diabetes due to visceral abdominal fat
Anyone who likes to drink a beer from time to time, but does not want to increase it, could alternatively choose the alcohol-free version. Because is e.g. Instead of normal wheat beer used to alcohol-free, about 40 percent calories can be saved. A sensible consideration, because a beer belly is not only a visual problem, but can also be dangerous. Because the visceral abdominal fat emits inflammatory substances, which among other things, fat metabolism disorders and diabetes can arise. In addition, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and arteriosclerosis are more common in people with big bellies. (No)