Beer lovers across Britain will be raising a glass to the latest research on drinking.
For scientists have discovered that the so-called 'beer belly' is not caused by consuming alcohol – but more to do with genetics.
A study of thousands of beer drinkers found that although people who drink regularly are more likely to put on weight, they do not necessarily accumulate fat around the abdomen.
Researchers monitored more than 20,000 people – 7,876 men and 12,749 women – over an average of eight-and-a-half years.
John Daly's bare belly
Bare-belly: the size of golfer John Daly's stomach may be to do with his genes, not beer consumption
Men who were classed as the heaviest drinkers – regularly consuming two pints of beer a day – put on the most weight.
But when the researchers then measured hip-to-waist ratios to establish which drinkers developed a pot belly, the results were randomly spread across all drinking groups.
The scientists concluded that genetic factors dictating how people put on weight were more significant than drinking beer.
However, they insist that their findings do not mean that drinking should be encouraged, and recommend giving up alcohol completely to avoid gaining weight.
In the study they measured participants' weight, waist and hip circumference at the start and then asked them to document their measurements regularly themselves.
The results were adjusted for variables including illness, the menopause, dieting and smoking.
The men most likely to put on weight were those who drank the most and also those who drank no beer at all.
Light drinkers saw the least variation in their waist size. For women, drinking more beer was more directly associated with piling on the pounds.
But for all the categories, drinking beer led to overall weight gain on both the waist and the hips, and did not necessarily lead to a beer belly.
The study stated: 'This analysis showed the empirical basis for the common belief of a beer belly, as we found that beer drinking and waist circumference were positively associated.
'However, our data provided only limited evidence for a site-specific effect of beer drinking on waist circumference, and beer consumption seems to be rather associated with an increase in overall body fatness.
'In terms of public health relevance, it may be therefore important to focus on beer abstention to maintain body weight.
'In terms of the beer belly belief, an explanation could be that all the observed beer bellies in the population result from the natural variation in fat patterning and not from the fact of drinking beer.'
The study, which was carried out by German and Swedish researchers, was published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Beer contains no fat and, measure for measure, has fewer calories than wine. A pint of beer contains about 200 calories, whereas the same volume of wine contains nearly 400.
全英国爱喝啤酒的人们会为最近一项有关饮酒的研究而举杯欢庆。
因为科学家们已经发现所谓的'啤酒肚'并不是由于大量引用酒精--但是却与基因有很大关系。
一项对成千上万的饮啤酒者进行的研究表明，尽管经常喝酒的人更容增重，但是他们并不一定将脂肪堆积在腹部。
研究者们在平均八年半的时间里跟踪调查了超过2万人--7876名男性与12749名女性。
John Daly's bare belly
露出的肚皮：高尔夫选手约翰·戴利的胃部尺寸可能和他的基因有关，而不是饮啤酒
被归为饮酒最多的一类的男性--每日定量地喝两品脱啤酒的--增重最多。
但是当研究者们接下来测量臀围腰围比以证实那哪种饮酒者会喝出啤酒肚，在所有的测试组织中这一结果是随机地分散开的。
科学家们推断基因因素比饮用啤酒更能决定了人们怎样增重。
然而，他们坚持认为他们的研究成果并不意味着饮酒应当受到鼓励，并建议完全放弃饮用酒精以避免增重。
在此项研究中他们称了参与者的体重、最初参与研究时的腰臀围并要求他们随后自己定期记录测量数据。
结果会因变数而异，这种变数包括疾病，绝经，饮食与吸烟。
最可能增重的男性有喝的最多的，还有从不喝啤酒的。
少量饮酒者的腰围变化最小。对于女性来说，喝更多的酒与增重有更直接的联系。
但是对于所有类型的饮酒者，喝啤酒导致整体体重增加，既加到腰部又加到臀部，并且不一定导致啤酒肚。
这项研究陈述道：'这项分析为啤酒肚产生的普遍想法展示出实验基础，因为我们发现喝啤酒与腰围增加肯定有关。'
'然而，我们的数据不能证明喝啤酒的影响身体特定部分效应对腰围的影响（等待答问），而且大量喝啤酒看起来与全身脂肪增多有或多或少的关系。'
'就与大众健康的关联性而言，这种关联可能因此对关注戒酒以保持体重很重要。'
'就啤酒肚产生的想法而言，一种解释是人群中所有观察到的啤酒肚产生于脂肪类型方面的自然差异，而不是喝啤酒的这种事实。'
这项研究是由德国与瑞典研究人员进行的。它被发表在欧洲临床营养期刊上。
啤酒不含脂肪同时与葡萄酒相比有更少的卡路里。一品脱啤酒含有200卡路里，但是同样体积的葡萄酒含有近400卡路里。
