BBC Future
Head Squeeze

What causes a beer belly?

Of course beer is pretty calorific, as are the snacks we crave to accompany it. But why does it specifically affect men’s guts? Greg Foot explains all.

When you drink beer, your liver has to go into overdrive to detoxify the alcohol. Now add a few packets of crisps to the equation, maybe some peanuts and those calories are there to stay. Beer itself is pretty calorific stuff, to the tune of around 150 calories a unit so why beer makes you fat, well that starts to seem obvious.

Now why does it give you a beer belly specifically? Well the answer is down to two things apparently - gender and age. After about the age of 35 most men's metabolisms start to slow down. While men tend to put weight on their... bellies, women's fat stores commonly go on their backside and hips.

For more videos subscribe to the Head Squeeze channel on YouTube.

If you would like to comment on this video or anything else you have seen on Future, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter.

BBC © 2013 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.