Is a "beer belly" caused by drinking beer? I spotted this BBC headline today: "Scientists say drinking beer will not lead to beer belly". I have always believed that there is a clear relationship between drinking beer and _developing_ the so-called beer belly. According to this study, however, there is no such relation. Has anyone heard about other similar studies that address this question?

I know at least one other study: "Beer and obesity: a cross-sectional study", published in "European Journal of Clinical Nutrition" in 2003.

The study was conducted in the Czech Republic and tried to find a relationship between beer consumption and obesity (more precisely waist-to-hip-ratio and body mass index). It is quite interesting to read and I don't want to pick out any specific parts of their discussion, but the conclusion is: "In terms of moderate beer drinking, our results are consistent with the literature, which suggests that the association between beer and obesity, if it exists, is probably weak."

They also refer to several other studies with similar or diverting conclusions.