在常人看来，那些长着啤酒肚的人一定曾经扮演过啤酒桶的角色。可是科学家们的最新发现终于可以让啤酒肚将军们长吁一口气了：啤酒肚基因也可能是罪魁祸首。

A Beer-gut gene that gives fellas flabby tummies has been discovered by scientists.

The medical breakthrough proves that guzzling ale is not the only reason why men develop saggy stomachs. They can also inherit from their parents a body make-up much more likely to run to fat.

The beer-gut gene was tracked down by Italian experts. They found that men with a particular variant of it called DD were twice as likely to get fat. And they are also significantly more likely to put on the pounds around their midriff.

Dr Carol Cooper said: "This sounds like a New Year's gift for all those guys who are tubby round the middle but aren't ready to give up the trips to the boozer. You're stuck with the genes you're born with, which could be just the excuse lardy lads who like a drink are looking for."

Dr Pasquale Strazzullo warned the findings might not apply to British men - because the research was based entirely on Italians.

flabby： (肌肉等)不结实的, 松弛的

saggy：松懈的, 下垂的

midriff：膈, 中腹部

（来源：英文阅读网 实习生张举良）

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