From Ananova:
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'Drink sensibly' plea after science explodes beer belly myth
Health officials are urging ale lovers to drink sensibly following a new scientific study which found no link between a few pints each week and a beer belly.
The Department of Health said the study of Czech drinkers which found that women who enjoy ale actually weighed less was not a green light for people to binge.
The study in the latest edition of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that "it is unlikely that beer intake is associated with a largely increased waist-hip ratio and body mass index."
Led by Dr Martin Bobak, of the University of London's Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, the research team took a random sample of 1,141 men and 1,212 women aged 25-64 in the Czech Republic and surveyed the amount of beer, wine and spirits they drank in a week.
A Department of Health spokesman said despite the findings, beer lovers should follow the Government's recommended guidelines, which categorises four pints a day as binging.
He said a recent study by the Cabinet Office Strategy Unit had estimated the total cost of alcohol misuse to the taxpayer to be £18-£20 million.
The spokesman said: "There are big problems associated with alcohol abuse which have been well documented.
"This study is not a green light for people to drink as much as they like. They should follow guidelines and drink sensibly."
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>
'Drink sensibly' plea after science explodes beer belly myth
Health officials are urging ale lovers to drink sensibly following a new scientific study which found no link between a few pints each week and a beer belly.
The Department of Health said the study of Czech drinkers which found that women who enjoy ale actually weighed less was not a green light for people to binge.
The study in the latest edition of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluded that "it is unlikely that beer intake is associated with a largely increased waist-hip ratio and body mass index."
Led by Dr Martin Bobak, of the University of London's Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, the research team took a random sample of 1,141 men and 1,212 women aged 25-64 in the Czech Republic and surveyed the amount of beer, wine and spirits they drank in a week.
A Department of Health spokesman said despite the findings, beer lovers should follow the Government's recommended guidelines, which categorises four pints a day as binging.
He said a recent study by the Cabinet Office Strategy Unit had estimated the total cost of alcohol misuse to the taxpayer to be £18-£20 million.
The spokesman said: "There are big problems associated with alcohol abuse which have been well documented.
"This study is not a green light for people to drink as much as they like. They should follow guidelines and drink sensibly."
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