Beer and obesity: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective: There is a common notion that beer drinkers are, on average, more 'obese' than either nondrinkers or drinkers of wine or spirits. This is reflected, for example, by the expression 'beer belly'. However, the few studies on the association between consumption of beer and abdominal obesity produced inconsistent results. We examined the relation between beer intake and waist-hip ratio (WHR) and body mass index (BMI) in a beer-drinking population. Design: A cross-sectional study. Settings: General population of six districts of the Czech Republic. Subjects: A random sample of 1141 men and 1212 women aged 25-64 y (response rate 76%) completed a questionnaire and underwent a short examination in a clinic. Intake of beer, wine and spirits during a typical week, frequency of drinking, and a number of other factors were measured by a questionnaire. The present analyses are based on 891 men and 1098 women who where either nondrinkers or 'exclusive' beer drinkers (ie they did not drink any wine or spirits in a typical week). Results: The mean weekly beer intake was 3.1 l in men and 0.3 l in women. In men, beer intake was positively related to WHR in age-adjusted analyses, but the association was attenuated and became nonsignificant after controlling for other risk factors. There appeared to be an interaction with smoking: the relation between beer intake and WHR was seen only among nonsmokers. Beer intake was not related to BMI in men. In women, beer intake was not related to WHR, but there was a weak inverse association with BMI. Conclusion: It is unlikely that beer intake is associated with a largely increased WHR or BMI.

Skipping breakfast, alcohol consumption and physical inactivity as risk factors for overweight and obesity in adolescents: results of the E-MOVO project

“…The directions of the relations between alcohol consumption in average amount per week and overweight are not Risk factors for overweight and obesity in adolescents S Croezen et al consistent in literature; positive, negative and no associations were reported (Lahti-Koski et al, 2002;Bobak et al, 2003;Wannamethee and Shaper, 2003;Suter, 2004;Yeomans, 2004). A study by Breslow and Smothers (2005) that distinguished between amount of consumed alcohol and frequency of drinking occasions in adults, reported different results for the relation between amounts of alcohol consumed with BMI and between frequencies of alcohol consumed with BMI.…”

“…Between 1988 and 1998, the consumption of alcohol in boys (13-18 years) increased with 86% (Health council of the Netherlands, 2002;Kreijl, 2004). It is relatively unclear whether alcohol consumption is a risk factor for overweight, as studies have equally reported a positive, negative or no association (Westerterp, 1999;Lahti-Koski et al, 2002;Bobak et al, 2003;Wannamethee and Shaper, 2003;Suter, 2004;Yeomans, 2004). In addition, no studies were found describing the relations between alcohol consumption and overweight in adolescents.…”

Beer consumption and the ‘beer belly’: scientific basis or common belief?

“…It is believed that beer consumption is associated with increased waist circumference (WC), particularly in men-a phenomenon popularly referred to as 'beer belly'. This belief might have found support by cross-sectional research, reporting abdominal obesity as being associated with beer consumption (Slattery et al, 1992;Duncan et al, 1995;Dallongeville et al, 1998;Bobak et al, 2003;Wannamethee et al, 2005). In contrast, prospective studies have been rather inconsistent, reporting positive associations (Vadstrup et al, 2003;Vernay et al, 2004), no associations (Halkjaer et al, 2004;Koppes et al, 2005) or even marginally negative associations among men (Halkjaer et al, 2006).…”

The association of lifetime alcohol use with measures of abdominal and general adiposity in a large-scale European cohort

“…In cross-sectional studies, beer intake was either not related to WHR or BMI (Bobak et al, 2003;Lukasiewicz et al, 2005), or it was related (632) 2281 (679) 2262 (675) 2269 (648) 2230 (617) 2228 (608) 2284 (630) 2364 (639) 2494 (674) Total fat intake (mean, s. (520) 1824 (525) 1863 (536) 1874 (521) 1881 (506) 1868 (515) 1862 (539) 1907 (580) Total fat intake (mean, s. Lifetime alcohol and abdominal adiposity MM Bergmann et al in both genders and all ethnic groups (Slattery et al, 1992;Wannamethee et al, 2005). However, comparable to our study, abdominal adiposity was also seen for other types of beverage, independent from BMI (Dallongeville et al, 1998).…”