Alcohol and the male physique

The days when having a large stomach was a sign of affluence and social standing are now long gone. Today most men realise that if they want the pulling power of a football star, it pays not to have the physique of a darts player.

For some men, beer bellies are just the beginning of the problem. Expanding love handles and the dreaded ‘moobs’ (aka man boobs) can cause even more embarrassment. And while they may be the butt of endless pub jokes, it’s less funny when this extra weight begins to affect your health.

Is alcohol to blame?

So what causes these embarrassing conditions? A recent Czech study maintained that, contrary to popular belief, beer bellies might not necessarily be caused by drinking beer (1). Scientists found that in a random sample of 1,141 men, beer intake wasn’t always linked to increased body mass. 

However, Dean Hodgkin, resident fitness expert at Ragdale Hall (www.ragdalehall.co.uk) says that excess alcohol does make a difference to your body shape. He believes that the key factor is the sheer number of calories contained in alcohol.

“The negative aesthetic effects of alcohol consumption are easily explained by the number of associated calories,” he explains.

“Weight management is a simple balancing act – consume more calories than you burn off and you'll gain poundage which, for men, is usually around the middle. Excess alcohol also causes increased body fat which will be stored in various sites around the body. This can happen around the chest, making alcohol a key cause of moobs.”

In fact which wobbly bits begin to appear depends on where your excess fat is stored. If it gathers around the waist it can cause ‘love handles’ developing either side of your waist. Meanwhile, excess fat in the stomach area can cause a ‘beer belly’ to develop.

If you’re drinking a lot of alcohol on a regular basis it can be easier than you think to absorb the excess calories that cause these problems.

For example, if you drink four pints of strong lager on Saturday night you’re consuming around 715 calories. That’s roughly the calorie equivalent of chowing down on a hot dog, followed by a burger, with a doughnut for dessert. And that’s before you grab some chips on the way home.

It isn’t just the calories in what you drink which makes you gain weight. Alcohol reduces the amount of fat your body burns for energy. Because we can’t store alcohol in the body, our systems want to get rid of it as quickly as possible, and this process takes priority over absorbing nutrients and burning fat (2).

Make a positive change

If you’re conscious that your drinking is changing your body shape, it could be time to cut down. The government advises that people should not regularly drink more than the daily unit guidelines of 3-4 units of alcohol for men (equivalent to a pint and a half of 4% beer) and 2-3 units of alcohol for women (equivalent to a 175 ml glass of wine)

Of course, many people would argue that some sportsmen aren’t exactly known for moderation when it comes to alcohol, so how do they manage to maintain their impressive physiques?

“The huge amount of exercise they do helps to burn off the calories they drink,” explains Dean.

“Since the man on the street is not likely to be training for hours every day and then playing a game at the weekend, more of those excess calories tend to take residence in the body.” Heavy drinking can of course have consequences longer lasting than less than impressive pecs. In the long term, drinking too much can have many adverse effects on your health, including increasing your chance of having heart disease and developing cancer.

Luckily, whatever your reasons for cutting back, it’s easier than you think to live a lower alcohol lifestyle. And though you might not quite get a body like Beckham’s, with fewer calories coming from alcohol you stand a much better chance of staying moob free. 

References

(1)    Bobak, S.O., Skodova, Z (2003) Beer and Obesity: a cross-sectional study. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 57, 1250-1253.

(2) Charles S. Lieber. ALCOHOL: Its Metabolism and Interaction With Nutrients

Page last updated by

Kate Prior, 31 Jan 2012.

Page checked on

13 Apr 2010