Q I'm an office worker in my forties who drinks a can or two of beer almost every day. Is alcohol strongly linked to belly fat, especially visceral fat? Do I have to quit completely for it to come off?
A Alcohol is high in calories and blocks fat burning, making it a leading cause of visceral fat and fatty liver. Even without quitting completely, cutting the frequency and amount noticeably improves visceral fat and liver values.
Detailed Answer
Alcohol has about 7 kcal per gram, so it's high in calories, and because the body processes alcohol first, it postpones fat burning, making fat pile up easily in the abdomen and liver. A daily drinking habit especially grows fatty liver and visceral fat together. That said, even without complete abstinence, just reducing how often and how much you drink often improves liver values and visceral fat.
Our Korean Medicine Clinic's Perspective
Dongjedang sees a daily nightcap as "a habit that makes the liver process surplus without a moment's rest." When there's a never-ending stream of things to process, circulation gets worn out and stagnation builds. We recommend making alcohol-free days to give the liver and metabolism time to recover, as a practice of emptying and restoring circulation.
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