Photo: Nick Wheeler Oz, Flickr

Mortified by your muffin top? Blame the booze -- according to studies, binge drinking can add a staggering 4 inches to your waistline if you're a woman, and 2 inches if you're a man. That's according to research from a few years ago that showed that ladies who regularly went on drinking binges were 4 inches bigger around the waist than those who kept their alcohol intake under control.

So just what constituted binge drinking in comparison to regular drinking? Those classified as binge drinkers drank at least 10 units in a single session at least once a month. But while 10 units seems like a lot, keep in mind that a large glass of wine can contain three 'units.' Eeps -- sounds like a regular Sunday dinner at my mother's house.

Still, this isn't really all that surprising -- alcohol can make you fat for a number of reasons:

Beer packs plenty of carbohydrates, so if you like the hops but not the belly flab, the bars you frequent may make a difference.

A new study, published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, found patrons at bars with loud music drank beer more quickly and in fewer gulps. This study observed the golden target group of beer marketers -- males aged 18-25. When bar music went up, the average time it took to down a beer dropped from 14:51 minutes to 11:45 minutes. Patrons also ordered more drinks in a jammin' joint -- 3.4 versus 2.6.

Who knows why, researchers speculate less conversation may trigger more swigs. Choosing a quieter establishment may help you lose that beer belly and save your hearing.

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It's all about the beer. So say that ads, anyway. And, there's no harm in cracking open a cold one once and a while, so long as you're not drinking them with near abandon.

This also applies for those so-called "healthy" beers. You know, the Michelob Ultras and other brands that feature very fit people exercising in their ads, as if the beer was a sports drink. While it is true that these beers tend to have less calories (thereby making them the better choice in that department), drink a six pack a night and you're guaranteed to look nothing at all like the men and women pictured in the ads.

Simply put, one Michelob Ultra = 95 calories. A six-pack of Michelob Ultra = 570 calories. Considering that the FDA recommends a daily caloric intake of around 2,000, you will have less than 1,500 to spare after your "healthy" beer binge.

Remember when Michelob Ultra first hit the market? It was being touted as The Athlete's Beer, or at least something similar (based on their advertisements featuring very fit men and women in workout gear). The low(er) carb content is what supposedly made it a better option than its competitors. Granted, Michelob Ultra only turned out to have a few carbs less per serving than most other light beers, but apparently that was enough in Corporate's eyes to spin it as being "healthy."

Being aware of carbohydrate content in food and drinks is imperative. With regard to beer, it's important to be cognizant not only of its direct effect on blood glucose levels, but also for the added fat it may be adding to your midsection. The classic Beer Belly, if you will. But, what is it about beer that makes it so bad for your belly?

The folks at Men's Health explain in a recent issue. For one, when you drink beer, twenty percent of the alcohol is absorbed from your stomach into your bloodstream; the rest is absorbed by your intestines. From there, the alcohol makes its way through your liver, where it is broken down -- leading to the creation of two waste products: acetate and acetaldehyde. These waste products then signal your body to stop burning fat, while at the same time your body actually starts MAKING fat from another alcohol waste product, known as acetyle CoA. As a result of all this, the more you drink, the less you become able to burn fat -- and, the more fat your body creates from the build-up of acetytle CoA.

Funny how they don't mention any of this in those sporty Mich Ultra ads.

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Ah, the beer belly. Take a look around in any crowd of people and it's likely to be one of the most prominent physical features you see. Of course "beer bellies" aren't always caused by beer -- it's really just body fat from too many calories. But the question is: do some calories tend to layer fat on around the middle more than others, specifically calories from alcohol?

This is one of those questions that has different answers depending who you talk to, so big bummer that I don't have a straight yes or no. But I can say this: although they're not sure why, researchers have found that daily moderate drinkers (having about 1 drink per day) usually have less abdominal fat than binge drinkers (those who drink less frequently but have 4 or more drinks at a time). So go figure, another reason to have that nightly glass of wine.

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