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Beer Belly or Ruffin Top ? A Perilous Lifestyle Disorder |
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| By Shilpa Raina - IANS |
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July 15, 2011
 For all those who don't think twice before gulping a pint of beer and royally ignore their bulging bellies, it's high time to cut down on parties and poor lifestyle and take corrective action!
And if you are a woman, happily laughing at the beer belly of your partner and thinking you are plain lucky, then it's time for a reality check as women too get the affliction.
"The beer gut isn't exclusively for the boys! Girls with beer bellies are often referred to as having a muffin top," Munira Jawadwala Kawad, nutrition expert at Gold's Gym India, told IANS.
"Beer guts aren't just a guy's problem. Women who drink a large amount of beer can also get them," she said.
"Stomach fat is the most perilous kind. It leads to lifestyle disorders like diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol," Kawad said.
One must measure his or her beer intake, Kawad noted.
"If you are drinking enough beer and you've seen significant weight gain in the abdominal region, it's safe to say you may need to cut back on the beer and other alcohol intake. Beer contains an average of 155 calories per 350 ml, even though it varies according to the brand," said Kawad.
"If you drink only two glasses of beer you have taken in an additional 300 calories. Make that four and you have added an extra 600 calories to your diet," she cautioned.
"This doesn't even count the pizza, chips and other junk food that most people eat with their beer. So if you've made a decision to try a change in the way in which you look and you really want to lose that beer belly, it's time to lose the beer," she added.
Experts suggest a few lifestyle changes and a good exercise programme can make anybody's beer belly flat.
"The number one thing is dieting and then exercises: crunches, sit-ups, ab lounges. One has to burn additional fat through cardio and decreased calorie intake," said Sheru Aangrish, a Mumbai-based fitness guru.
"Then tone up those muscles which lie beneath the fat layer through some kind of strength coaching that targets the core area," he added.
There is no short cut to get back into shape, but a mix of exercises like pilates, functional training, high-intensity cardio with a balanced diet will result in sexy and robust abs.
"Vegetables and fruits are very important. Reducing alcohol intake will definitely help. Try to eat small meals and avoid eating carbohydrates after six. There won't be immediate results, but persistence will pay in this case," said Aangrish.
Aangrish also suggested a simple exercise that one can do any time to reduce belly fat.
"Place one of your fingers on your belly button. Without taking a deep breath try to move your belly button inward as far away from your finger as you can. Hold your belly button in for five seconds, working your way up to a minute. One can do this any time," he said.
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READ 'Tips for life ARCHIVES'
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| Comments on this article |
| Vijay Prabhu, Kundapur | Friday, July 22, 2011 |
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| Dear Dr. Nazereth. all said about drinking alcohol in moderation is fine and acceptable to me. Bur you did not mention its effect on the liver or alchohol associated diseases like cirrosis, excess fatty liver etc. Could you please enlighten the readers on the effect of alcohol consumtion on the liver and how to get reid of fatty liver and cirrosis etc? Thanks a lot! |
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| A.S.Mathew, U.S.A. | Sunday, July 17, 2011 |
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For a great majority of the people,
an easy life of sitting down in
a chair without any extra physical
exercise can add up weight at the
front side very fast. And if they
are caught up with a lifestyle by
substituting beer for water or
soft drinks, they will be bearing
the burden of "beer belly". If we
get the "beer belly or fat belly",
it is very hard to get rid of that
burden. The wealthy population of
India are blindly shifting to the
western lifestyle of deep fried
food, pizza etc with a lot of alcohol, on the other hand
pushing the healthy Indian food to
the sidetrack which will invite
many diseases unaware. The rate of
increase in diabetes among the
young people is perhaps the highest
in India through this newly adopted
fancy western lifestyle. |
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| Dr. Edward Nazareth, Mangalore | Saturday, July 16, 2011 |
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Benjamin Franklin said it best: "Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." For sure, men love their alcohol. Studies have suggested that, when consumed in moderation. Most of the men and women who drink put on weight not because of beer, but because of the ‘starters’ – the fried vegetarian and meat items. The amount of calories in alcohol is minimal compared to those in the food items consumed along with alcohol.
There are several studies to support the health benefits of moderate drinking. For instance, moderate amounts of alcohol may be good for the heart. An Emory University study involving over 2,200 elderly men and women discovered that those who consumed at least 1.5 drinks daily had up to a 50% lesser risk of suffering from heart failure. Another study conducted by Germany, France and the United Kingdom found that moderate consumption of beer or wine may have anti-inflammatory properties, which can lower the risk coronary heart disease. Using an MRI, a Boston scientist discovered that light drinkers (one to six drinks a week) to moderate drinkers (seven to 14 drinks a week) have fewer strokes than non-drinkers probably because of alcohol's effect in thinning the blood and preventing the formation of tiny blood clots in the brain. But one has to keep in mind that all of the studies above point out that beer are only healthy if you drink moderately. Some scientists even consider the health benefits of alcohol for moderate drinkers to be controversial due to the variations in the methologies.
The health risks of drinking larger amounts of alcohol will quickly outweigh its benefits and to make matters worse, alcohol can impair the judgment, thus making it hard to stop at one or two
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| ashenoy, mangloor | Friday, July 15, 2011 |
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| Give some credit to the writer. Beer drinking contineously does cause paunchiness including heavy eating and lifestyle. Again each body metabolism is different. Yoga and routine regular excersise does keep belliness in shape. |
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| Denzil Machado, Mangalore/Chennai | Friday, July 15, 2011 |
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| Indeed an informative article...obesity indeed has become a risk factor almost for all metabolic disorders thesedays...as told sine centuries, prebention is always better than pills... |
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| Dony, Katapady/Dubai | Friday, July 15, 2011 |
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See what wikipedia says abt beer
The main active ingredient of beer is alcohol, and therefore, the health effects of alcohol apply to beer. The moderate consumption of alcohol, including beer, is associated with a decreased risk of cardiac disease, stroke and cognitive decline.The long term health effects of continuous, heavy alcohol consumption can, however, include the risk of developing alcoholism and alcoholic liver disease.
Brewer's yeast is known to be a rich source of nutrients therefore, as expected, beer can contain significant amounts of nutrients, including magnesium, selenium, potassium, phosphorus, biotin, and B vitamins. In fact, beer is sometimes referred to as "liquid bread".Some sources maintain that filtered beer loses much of its nutrition.
A 2005 Japanese study found that low alcohol beer may possess strong anti-cancer properties.Another study found nonalcoholic beer to mirror the cardiovascular benefits associated with moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages.However, much research suggests that the primary health benefit from alcoholic beverages comes from the alcohol they contain.
It is considered that overeating and lack of muscle tone is the main cause of a beer belly, rather than beer consumption. A recent study, however, found a link between binge drinking and a beer belly. But with most overconsumption, it is more a problem of imp |
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| Tony, Mangalore/Sydney | Friday, July 15, 2011 |
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Not much truth in what has been said in the article and I totally agree with the comments of CD. Beer and intake of alcohol can contribute to developing the paunch to some extent, but the main reason is excessive and continuous eating, especially the sweets, and lack of exercise and physical activities.
Also, as one catches up with the age, he/she becomes less active and mobile, and thus tend to put on weight, and the belly. By the way, once you inherits the belly, it is very hard to get rid of it, unless you seriously undertake some real stretching and sweating exercises on a regular basis for a long time. |
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| Anand, Mangalore | Friday, July 15, 2011 |
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| Gold Gym Ad...Nice one..Bellies with beer..hmmmm... |
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| Montie, Mangalore | Friday, July 15, 2011 |
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Totally agree with CD's commets, This article is totally BS. I dring daily ( repeat daily ) 3-4 glases of KF and everymorning I do the cardio. No fat, no belly and all isk la.
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| Cdsouza, Mangalore | Friday, July 15, 2011 |
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I don't think beer has anything to do with belly. It's all to do with the calories you take. Beer only adds to the calories. Similarly any food with high calories and a sedentary lifestyle adds to the waist size. There are those who do not drink a but still have giant bellies.
Secondly it's totally rubbish that bellies can be reduced by pushing the belly button! Crunches while strengthening belly muscles do not have any direct effect on the belly fat. The ONLY way to reduce belly fat is by doing cardio exercises - Brisk walking, running and swimming. Anything else that the fitness gurus say is pure BS. |
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