Bengaluru: That extra pint of craft beer at the end of a night out may be adding more to your waistline than you realise. In Bengaluru, India’s microbrewery capital, doctors say calorie-dense craft beers — often higher in alcohol, sugar, and calories compared to regular lagers — are emerging as a significant contributor to weight gain.A recent study in the International Journal of Obesity reported a clear, dose-dependent relationship between alcohol consumption and visceral fat mass (VFM). Using DEXA scans of a cohort of 5,761 adults, researchers observed that the highest alcohol consumption group had over 10% more visceral fat compared to light drinkers, independent of total body fat. Doctors in Bengaluru say this pattern is now being observed in clinics. “Microbrewery culture has become a significant driver of weight gain, especially when added to an already sedentary, high-stress urban lifestyle. It is rarely just ‘a glass of beer’ — it is multiple pints, heavy starters, late nights, and very little movement. I see many young professionals, who otherwise appear healthy, presenting with increased waist circumference, early fatty liver, borderline sugars and blood pressure. And they have a clear history of frequent brewery visits,” said Dr Somnath Chatterjee, medical director, Prakriya Hospitals. Explaining the difference between craft and bottled beers, Dr Somnath said: “Medically, craft beer is a concentrated metabolic load: more alcohol, more calories, and often more residual sugar than regular lager.” Calorie counts support this. “A normal beer has 100 to 150 calories per portion. Craft beers can be anywhere between 150 and 300 calories per portion,” said Dr Gaurav Singh, general surgeon, Gleneagles Hospital. “If a rich craft beer has 300 calories and a person takes 5 or 6 portions, that’s 1,500 plain calories from beer alone. Combine that with food, a single outing can easily reach 2,500 to 3,000 calories.” Food consumed during bar binges adds to the problem. “Popular microbreweries offer calorie-dense menus — fried starters, cheesy pizzas, creamy pastas, burgers, loaded potatoes, rich meats, and elaborate desserts. These combine high fat and refined carbs, hitting 800 to 1,200 kilocalories per dish. Marketed as ‘perfect with beer,’ they lead to continuous snacking that people don’t mentally count as a meal,” said Dr Ganavi YP, consultant, department of endocrinology, Ramaiah Memorial Hospital. Apart from weight gain and “beer belly”, doctors report abnormal liver enzymes, disturbed sleep, acid reflux, gastritis and a higher risk of diabetes among regular beer consumers.Dr Manjunath Malige, director, department of endocrinology, diabetes, obesity and weight management, Sakra World Hospital, said nearly one in two adults in urban clinical settings is overweight or obese due to multiple factors.
