Drinking too much alcohol
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Alcohol contains a lot of heat and has little nutritional value, which can also cause your body to turn food into fat. Alcohol is commonly referred to as an "empty calorie" because it is a high-energy dense food. One gram of alcohol has twice as much heat as one gram of carbohydrates or protein. Alcohol also changes the way your body digests food. It changes from using carbohydrates to using alcohol as an energy source, and eventually stores the excess energy as fat.
Alcohol increases the number of subcutaneous fat cells on your body, and these fats are deposited in the abdominal area. This fat is the culprit behind the "beer belly" in many men. Alcohol also increases the levels of estrogen in the blood, meaning your body is more likely to store it as fat.
