Are you worried about a “beer belly” this semester? There is a common notion that drinking beer is associated
with weight gain among college students, especially among first year students who are quick to blame beer for the “Freshmen
15.” However, before you point a finger, you may want to consider the findings of one particular study of beer and obesity.
The truth is that some researchers have not found a significant correlation between beer intake and increase in the waist-hip
ratio (WHR) or body mass index (BMI).
The method used to perform the research was done through a cross-sectional study. Boback et
al surveyed a random sample of men and women from the Czech Republic. The researchers chose the country because the Food and
Agricultural Organization of the United Nations registered it with the highest per capita beer consumption in 1998. Participants
were randomly selected and all underwent medical examinations. Physicians recorded their weight and height, and with these
numbers, they calculated their body mass index. (Height/Weight) Since the study was focused on the relationship between beer
and obesity, drinkers of wines and spirits were considered nondrinkers and the remaining group was classified as ‘exclusive’
beer drinkers. Using a linear regression, the association between beer intake
and BMI and WHR was analyzed among the groups. Adjustments to the figures were also made for age and smoking but not for blood
pressure and cholesterol.
Despite the popular expression, “beer belly”, the findings conclude, “in
this beer drinking population the intake of beer was weakly positively associated with WHR in men, and it was weakly negatively
related to BMI in women.” (1) There, it is unlikely that beer intake is associated with abdominal weight gain.
Although the design has its disadvantages, the researchers did their best to reduce them by
having unbiased health selection. Furthermore, there has been no general consensus among scientists as to the relation of
obesity and moderate intake. Similar studies have found made similar as well as different conclusions. For the time being,
although beer may contain more carbohydrates than most wines or spirits, Boback et al have not found statistically significant
relationship between beer intake and weight gain.
Beer can no longer be blamed for the Freshmen 15. Wines and spirits, on the other hand, may
be different. So correct yourself the next time you refer to weight gain as having a “beer belly”, the expression
is incorrect and the blamed must be placed somewhere else. Have you considered the Marketplace?
Reference
Bobak M, Skodova Z, Marmot M. October 2003. Beer and obesity: a cross-sectional study. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=14506485&dopt=Abstract