THE infamous beer belly – something you might joke about with your mates or have prodded by your partner with a wink. You might even wear your tubby belly with a badge of honour.
But while it’s easier to laugh it off, your can be among the very first red flag signs of an underlying health issue.
This is especially the case if you also experience symptoms such as , or are in the danger .
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to the visible, extra fat around your belly.
A beer belly often indicates that there’s an excess of ; this is the deep fat which wraps itself around your organs.
Visceral fat may be invisible to the naked eye but it is the most dangerous.
It can increase your risk of , , and even certain cancers.
Dr Jeff Foster, a men’s health doctor at Manual.co, says: “The bottom line is that having a beer belly and being significantly overweight increases your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, multiple cancers, arthritis and various other conditions.”;
Dr Philip Bazire, a medical weight loss specialist and bariatric surgeon, adds: “Anyone who is overweight should attempt to lose weight to get back to a normal weight and, more importantly, to a normal waist circumference.”;
A belly is often called as such because it is associated with drinking beer, which is high in and can therefore lead to .
But also because it is more commonly seen in men, due to how they carry their weight.
Women, on the other hand, tend to store their fat around the hips, thighs, bottom and arms.
So what are the key signs that your beer belly is in fact a secret clue that you may be at risk of a serious problem?
1. Your waist size is over 94 cm
FIRST, check the size of your beer belly.
Dr Foster says: “According to the NHS, the cut-off point for a dangerously large waist size that is likely to be related to other comorbidities is 94 cm or more in men and 80 cm or more in women.”;
This is regardless of your body mass index (BMI).
Measure your waist circumference at the point between your hip bone and the bottom of the ribs.
Breathe out normally while measuring and don’t hold the tape too tight.
Working out your waist-to-height ratio with this NHS calculator can also help you understand if there’s too much fat around your tummy.
The NHS says you should try to keep your waist size to less than half your height.
2. You feel tired all the time (TATT)
SUFFERING from extreme ? It’s easy to put this down to a busy lifestyle – whether that be partying and drinking beer, or chasing around kids while working.
But excess tiredness could be a sign of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease () which can be caused by excess body fat.
Dr Peter Darling, Digital Clinician at Medichecks says: “This is where the liver is put under constant stress dealing with excess body fat and can become hardened or scarred.
“Eventually if this is left unchecked it can cause cirrhosis of the liver, which is irreversible damage.”;
There tends to be no symptoms in the early stages of NAFLD, however the NHS says that in more developed stages you may experience extreme tiredness, weakness and/or a dull or aching pain in the top right of your .
3. You struggle to get it ‘up’
IT’S easy to brush away bedroom problems while sinking down a pint at the pub.
But if your has gone down the pan and getting an erection is practically impossible these days, then it could be linked to your beer belly.
“Excess fat can cause increased levels of the hormone oestrogen and in men this can be problematic,”; says Dr Darling.
“Fat cells contain the enzyme aromatase which converts male sex hormones (such as testosterone) into oestrogen.
“The more fat you have, the more male sex hormones are converted to oestrogen.
“Obesity is also linked to lower levels of a protein sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG). SHBG binds to oestrogen.
“With less SHBG available, more oestrogen is ‘free’ and biologically active.”;
High levels of in men can cause increased breast tissue, loss of muscle tone, a decrease in body hair, shrinking testes and/or erectile dysfunction.
By losing weight, oestrogen levels often decline.This is true for both men and women who are overweight or obese.
4. Your hips and knees hurt
CARRYING extra weight puts more pressure on your joints. Though you might not feel it right now, problems can creep up on you.
Dr Darling says: “Over time, as these joints need to carry around and support this excess weight they can become worn or injured causing pain or impacting mobility.
“Osteoarthritis is the type of arthritis that most of us will develop in some way as we get older, but excess weight can cause this to develop quicker and with worsened pain.”;
5. You’re always craving sugar
CAN’T stop reaching for the biscuit tin?
Your belly fat can interfere with how your body uses , the hormone that helps move sugar from your blood into your cells for energy.
This can cause an increase in .
Dr Bazire says: “High sugar intake leads to spikes in insulin levels which then knock the blood sugar back down below normal levels, creating a desire for more sugar.”;
Even more of a concern, is that this can lead to insulin resistance, which puts you at risk of .
Dr Bazire says: “Insulin resistance occurs when the cells are less sensitive to the action of insulin, so blood sugar increases as there’s a lack of uptake of sugar into the cells.
“The cells are therefore short of sugar and our appetite responds by increasing our desire for sugar.”;
It’s no surprise to anyone that sugar makes you feel good.
“Persistent sugar intake leads to changes in the reward circuits, which become less sensitive to dopamine and constantly demand more intake to achieve satisfaction,”; says Dr Bazire.
So getting off the sugar train can be difficult; it’s a vicious cycle of getting a dopamine rush, eating sugar, followed by craving more sugar later.
Dr Foster adds that type 2 diabetes and high circulating blood sugar can result in serious long-term issues such as , kidney disease, and nerve issues, called peripheral vascular disease and peripheral neuropathy.
As a result, the loss of toes or feet and are complications in people with type 2 diabetes.
6. You snore
and belly fat are closely linked.
Dr Foster explains: “Increased body weight, especially around the abdomen and internal organs is also associated with an increased risk of snoring as you literally develop a fat neck.
“This is then associated with more serious conditions like sleep apnoea where you stop breathing at certain periods in the night.”;
is a common condition, of which the main symptom is snoring.
But really, it’s more than that – it causes gasping, snorting or choking noises as the person stops breathing intermittently through the night.
It doesn’t pose an immediate danger. The NHS states that if left untreated, it can lead to other problems including high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Studies have linked the condition and , too.
is one of the first thing advised to help ease sleep apnoea.
Poor sleep can actually contribute to weight gain – research in the journal Nutrients found that sleep restriction in healthy men of a normal weight led to 24 per cent higher hunger ratings and a high 33 per cent increase in the consumption of calorie-dense foods.
So sleeping better, and losing weight, can help each other.
7. You’re feeling weak
STRUGGLE to play with the kids as much as you did, or find household tasks exhausting?
It may be because your muscle is wasting away.
Research in the journal Science, found that people with obesity sit, on average, for two extra hours each day compared to people with a normal weight.
Dr Bazrie: “A beer belly can be associated with a sedentary lifestyle, often with a loss of muscle mass.
“Muscle is the major organ for the uptake of sugar after a meal and it is important for physical well-being.”;
Muscle loss (sarcopenia) can lead to falls leading to and increased mortality.
“Sarcopenia is also directly linked to metabolic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease,”; says Dr Bazrie.
“As a marker of decreased physical activity, sarcopenia may be associated with cognitive decline.
“Exercise (especially aerobic) has been shown to decrease the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, and resistance training is associated with increased muscle mass, reducing the risk of type 2 diabetes, a known risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.”;
