Consumption of Alcohol Causes Distended Stomach

Consumption of Alcohol Causes Distended Stomach – Alcohol consumption is often said to have many adverse effects on the body if excessive, of these several effects there is one of the most common effects heard, namely causing the stomach to become distended.

For some people, alcoholic drinks such as beer or wine are consumed during certain events (social drinkers) or some people drink them regularly. Although not always bad, alcoholic beverages are widely known to be bad for health when consumed in excess.

According to the U.S. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, issued by the United States Department of Health and Public Services (HHS) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), recommend one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men.

Apart from being widely associated with various health problems, alcoholic drinks, especially beer, are often accused of causing a distended stomach, aka beer belly. Is that true? This is the scientific explanation!

1. Drinking beer can make your waist wider?

Based on a study entitled “Beer Consumption and the ‘Beer Belly’: Scientific Basis or Common Belief?” published in the “European Journal of Clinical Nutrition” in 2009, found that men who drank 1,000 ml of beer per day had a 17 percent higher risk of experiencing an increase in waist circumference than light drinkers.

Vice versa, a decrease in alcohol consumption will increase the likelihood of reducing waist circumference, although it is not statistically significant. The study involved 7,876 men and 12,749 women.

2. Drinking alcoholic drinks regularly can gain weight

Apparently, excessive alcohol intake can increase body weight and increase the risk of obesity. This is stated in a study entitled “Alcohol, Body Weight, and Weight Gain in Middle-aged Men” which was published in “The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition” in 2003.

This study involved 7,608 men aged 40-59 years from 24 cities in England. At 5 years, the average body mass index (BMI) increased significantly from the light-moderate to heavy alcohol intake group. In conclusion, alcohol intake ≥ 30 g per day directly contributes to weight gain and obesity, regardless of the type of alcohol consumed.

3. Consumption of high amounts of alcohol can increase belly fat

It turns out, high amounts of alcohol consumption are associated with the risk of abdominal obesity in men! This is stated in a study entitled “Relationship of Abdominal Obesity with Alcohol Consumption at Population Scale” in the “European Journal of Nutrition” in 2007.

The study included 1,491 Spanish men and 1,563 women aged 25-74 years who were examined in 1999-2000. As many as 19.3 percent of men and 2.3 percent of women reported consuming more than 3 drinks per day. Meanwhile, the average alcohol consumption for men was 18.1-20.7 grams per day and 5.3-10.4 grams per day for women.

4. Alcohol makes women overweight or obese

It turns out, not only men, but women are also at risk of being overweight due to alcoholic beverages! This is evidenced by a study entitled “Alcohol Consumption, Weight Gain, and Risk of Becoming Overweight in Middle-aged and Older Women” published in the “Archives of Internal Medicine” in 2010.

The study involved 19,220 US women aged ≥39 years. As a result, 7,942 women with normal weight were overweight or obese. Compared to nondrinkers, women who consumed light to moderate amounts of alcohol gained weight.