Man boobs.
Moobs.
They’re a real problem facing thousands of men that are trying to find exercises to lose man breasts.
You might have seen some internet articles going around proclaiming the dangers of beer (specifically IPAs) and the creation of man boobs. Man boobs may not be noticeable at first but as they get bigger, they can make someone feel less confident and more self-conscious about their body image. Some turn to spot reduction facts to learn about how they can reduce their man boobs and regain their confidence.
Anyhow, at the request of a friend (who happens to run a dope Soundcloud), I decided to figure out what the real deal is.
True or false: the argument is that beer makes man boobs because of how it affects hormones and obesity.
Let’s break it down.
Claim #1: The phytoestrogen (a hormone) in beer hops makes men grow boobs.
Facts: There are trace amounts of this less-strong-version-of-estrogen that comes from the female plants used in hops (and IPAs tend to use more hops than other types of beer).
But realistically, it’s not enough to create an imbalance of testosterone and estrogen that would make a man get boobs.
Verdict: Fake news.
Claim #2: Beer gives moobs because it makes people fat.
Facts: One pint is beer is equal to the calories in seven slices of bread. And the calories in alcohol are totally empty (meaning they’re devoid of proteins, minerals or vitamins and it even inhibits the absorption of some nutrients like zinc and folic acid). ?
Alcohol also messed with your liver (which processes fat) and lowers your glycogen (aka carbs) stores. Drunk food plus not being able to efficiently burn off fat doesn’t really bode well for a beer belly or moobs.
Verdict: Yes, alcohol makes you fat but not necessarily just around your chest.
So overall, no. Beer specifically does not give you man boobs. Alcohol kinda does.
If you want to read something more positive about alcohol, check out this roller coaster of an article about a study claiming that beer helps you lose weight.
Are you a beer drinker?
Send this along to your guy friends!
