Beer Belly ft Santa Claus 

Merry Christmas and a happy new year to all our DOC2US readers! Cheers! 

Short quiz before entering into our topic: Who has a broad face, a little round belly that shook when he laughed like a bowl full of jelly? You got it right! Our dear old friend, Santa Claus!! (Credits to the Santa Claus: The Movie) 

During this auspicious Merry occasion, drinking beer or alcohol, eating sugary or fatty food, is often a relatively common start off while celebrating with friends and family. However, excessive consumption of beer, alcohol, and sugary food can increase our body fat by interfering with fat burn, as the liver burns the alcohol instead of fat. This causes the accumulation of abdominal fat, resulting in “beer belly”. 

What is beer belly? 

Drinking excessive amounts of beer can increase risk of weight gain and belly fat. Beer belly, a.k.a pot belly occurs due to excess accumulation of adipose visceral fat pushing abdomen outwards causing a distended abdomen looking like Santa Claus round big tummy! 

Symptoms of beer belly include a large protruding abdomen, hard feeling belly, weight gain 

Who is more prone to getting a beer belly? 

• Genetics can contribute to risk of overweight or obesity 
• Men are more likely to develop beer belly compared to women 
• Older age  
• Excessive alcohol intake and lack of exercise 

Potential harms of belly fat 

Belly fat is not only found in the subcutaneous fat (located below our skin), it also includes visceral fat which lies deep inside our abdomen, surrounding our internal organs. Having large amount of belly fat increase the potential risk of health consequences such as: 

• Type 2 diabetes and insulin resistance 
• Hypertension
• High cholesterol
• Heart related problems
• Fatty liver disease
• Sleep apnoea (sleep related breathing disorder) 
• Metabolic syndrome and higher mortality

Steps to lose beer belly

"A dream does not become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work." There is no magical medications, supplements or food that can help you cause your beer belly to instantly disappear! Hard work takes time, so here are a few tips that you can practice as a routine: 

• Weight loss by maintaining regular exercise for at least 150 minutes a week. Moreover, vigorous aerobic activity such as cardio and high intensity exercise of at least 75 minutes a week can be effective to lose belly fat. Doing exercises such as crunches or targeted abdominal exercises will only help tone your abdominal muscles, but does not get rid of belly fat. However, strength training exercises are recommended at least twice weekly. 
• Take a well balanced diet including fruits, vegetables, whole grain, and lean proteins (i.e. fish and low fat dairy products). Avoid drinking sugary beverages or fatty food. 
• Limit alcohol intake and avoid binge drinking.  

A WORD FROM DOC2US

If you have any questions related to beer belly you can consult our professional doctors and healthcare professionals on DOC2US. DOC2US is a mobile application that allows you to talk to a doctor or any healthcare professionals via text chat at any time and from anywhere. For better communication, you can even send our online doctor images or voice messages related to your medical inquiry.

Download DOC2US app on Apple App Store, Google Play Store and Huawei App Gallery; or use our web chat at https://web.doc2us.com/

Note: DOC2US is not for medical emergencies. In the event of urgent medical conditions, please call 999.

Disclaimer: As a service to our users and general public, DOC2US provides health education contents. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.

Reference: 

1. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/qa-the-truth-about-that-beer-belly/ 
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/mens-health/in-depth/belly-fat/art-20045685 
3. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/beer-belly#TOC_TITLE_HDR_5 

Written by

Ms. Rosamund Koo Wei Xin