You've probably heard all of the reasons to avoid beer, but that's not the whole story.
Fortunately, science is awesome, and there's been some fascinating studies on why beer
in moderation can actually be good for you.
Here's the reasons you should be drinking the occasional beer.
"Want beer!
Like beer!
Beer good!"
Many of us grew up hearing how milk is one of the best things you can drink for strong
bones, but here's some exciting news for grown-ups: it turns out that science says beer is pretty
great, too.
But surprisingly, it's not because of calcium.
According to research done at the University of California Davis, beer contains high amounts
of dietary silicon, which has been found to be a key ingredient in the body's ability
to maintain healthy connective tissue and bones.
Furthermore, the type of silicon in beer is one that has about a 50 percent bioavailability,
which means it's in a form your body can process.
For some perspective on how big a deal that is, you can compare that to a banana, which
also comes with dietary silicon, but in a form that's only 5 percent bioavailable.
From those findings, they suggested that beer consumption in moderation might help fight
osteoporosis.
Not all beer is created equal, though.
The silicon content comes from hops and malted barley, so beers with high levels of both
contain more silicon.
In other words, you'll want to pick up particular beers if you're looking to get a boost in
dietary silicon, and those are varieties like IPAs.
A beer a day can keep the dentist away?
Maybe!
And anything that can keep the dentist far, far away is good by most of us.
According to Healthline, there have been some studies done on the impact beer, and particularly
hops, has on your teeth.
And it's good news, so far, with research suggesting it might very well help you fight
cavities.
Take the results of a joint study published in the Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology.
They looked at a selection of drinks including Guinness, black and green tea, and cranberry
juice then looked at how effective they were in destroying the bacteria that causes things
like gingivitis and cavities.
“Gingivitis is the number one cause of all tooth decay.”
Guinness had some serious antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, and it was also
found to help keep all those little nasties that did survive from adhering to your teeth
and setting up a permanent home there.
It might not replace your toothbrush, but it looks like it can't hurt, either!
"Beer me, Jim."
"Gentle…."
It's well known that a lot of great writers tapped into their genius by having a tipple
or two before picking up the pen, but does alcohol really make you more creative?
Science actually says that yes, it does.
The University of Illinois Chicago conducted a fun study where they found out just how
creative beer could make a person.
They divided subjects into two groups, and while one group drank nothing, the other group
drank two pints of beer.
Then, they were given three words, one example was "peach," "arm," and "tar," and asked what
other word they had in common.
For that example, it was "pit."
The beer drinkers solved 40 percent more problems, and why it works is pretty fascinating.
Beer relaxes you, and when you're relaxed, the part of your brain that deals with intuition,
association, and creativity is firing on all cylinders.
When you're not taking yourself too seriously, you're better at making connections that a
completely sober you might miss.
You might be worse at dealing with problems that require logic and the ability to follow
something through step-by-step, but sometimes, you just gotta fly by the seat of your pants
and beer helps.
Ah, the 1930s.
It was a different time back then, and it was smack dab in the period during which Guinness
was advertised as being good for you.
It was practically a health drink, but is there anything to the stories of Guinness
being a healthy option?
Researchers from the University of California Davis wanted to find out, and the answer is,
"Sort of."
Guinness does contain high levels of folate, which is a B vitamin we all need.
And good news, since there's a lot of unmalted barley that goes into Guinness, it's also
got some of the highest fiber content of all the beers on the market.
And fiber, even though we can't digest it, is super important.
It doesn't just help keep blood sugar and cholesterol in check, it also helps keep us
feeling full, says the Harvard School of Public Health.
That fiber coupled with Guinness's trademark foamy head is why this stout feels so heavy
when you drink it.
But in reality, it has less calories than Sam Adams, Budweiser, or Heineken, and it's
got a lower alcohol content.
So, next time you feel like you want to reach for a light beer, reach for Guinness you'll
get some health benefits and fewer calories.
Here's where we need to talk about something important: moderation.
According to the Harvard Medical School, beer can have a positive impact on your heart health,
but they're talking about around one drink a day.
Any more than that, and you can start doing more harm than good.
So, what's going on here?
According to a study published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, data from 200,000
people suggested that drinking one pint of beer a day lowered the risk of heart disease
by an average of 31 percent.
Why?
It's all about the alcohol, which has been linked to helping raise good cholesterol.
We hear a lot about cholesterol and why it's bad, but this is the good stuff that actually
helps protect your body against heart disease.
Wine does the same thing, but here's the catch beer fills you up faster than the equivalent
amount of wine, and that means it's easier and more fulfilling to limit yourself to just
one.
And those findings were supported by a study published in the journal Nutrients in 2018.
They specifically looked at the effects of light to moderate drinking in individuals
that were overweight or obese, and came to the conclusion that not only were there no
negative effects, but that beer-a-day routine helped prevent fatty build-ups from forming
in the cardiovascular system.
“How ya doing Norm?”
“Cut the small talk and get me a beer.”
According to the National Eye Institute, cataracts are extremely common and they're usually just
one more annoying side effect of the aging process.
But, while the science is still out on this one, it's believed that beer in moderation
might just help you dodge this unpleasant condition.
According to research presented to the International Chemical Conference of Pacific Basin Societies,
studies have shown that the antioxidants in beer especially the ones found in stout and
ale are particularly good at protecting the eyes against damage that leads to cataracts.
And they suggest you don't need to drink much to get the full benefits, just one beer a
day.
While there is a definite lack of thorough studies done in the area of examining the
relationship between alcohol and cataracts, researchers have confirmed that one beer a
day isn't going to hurt your eyes, and it just might help you see more clearly in the
long run.
If you feel a cold coming on, you might reach for the orange juice and a boost of vitamin
C. According to research from the University of California, Riverside, an alcoholic drink
just might have more of a positive impact on your immune system than all that OJ.
Essentially, the research had to do with a study where rhesus monkeys were vaccinated
against smallpox, then monitored to see how well their immune systems reacted to the vaccine.
During the experiment, the monkeys were divided into three groups: one had access to sugar
water, and two others had access to alcohol.
When the monkeys were re-vaccinated and examined again, it was found that they no longer all
had the same immune response.
Using the monkeys that drank the sugar water as a sort of control group, they found the
heavy drinkers had less of a response to the vaccine, while the moderate drinkers had a
boosted immune system and were more responsive to the treatment.
Findings published via Pub Med support the idea that while extreme beer and wine consumption
will suppress immune system function, moderate consumption does, in fact, seem to have a
positive effect on our immune systems and ability to fight off disease.
"Really?
That's all I ever wanted."
Chronic inflammation is a root cause of a variety of illnesses, and sticking with a
diet that lowers inflammation is nothing but good.
How much does beer contribute?
During the 2011 Munich Marathon, researchers recruited some runners to drink either alcoholic
or non-alcoholic beer in the three weeks before and two weeks after the race, then measured
instances of respiratory illness and muscle inflammation.
Those that had the real beer were three times less likely to develop a respiratory condition,
and suffered between 20 and 32 percent less inflammation.
Why?
Because of beer's polyphenols , which are such a powerful antioxidant there's a growing
body of research that's looking at the possibility of using them to replace over-the-counter
drugs like ibuprofen.
What about arthritis?
According to the Arthritis Foundation, there is research that shows a regular pint can
help reduce the inflammation that causes the worst of your symptoms, but given that it
also could interfere with other medications, they do recommend checking in with a doctor
before pulling your pint.
We've all heard of how important gut health is, and when we think of foods that can help
us maintain a happy gut, it's usually yogurt that comes to mind.
But fermented foods come to mind, too... so what about beer?
It turns out that if science has anything to do with it, there might just be a whole
line of probiotic beers in the future.
According to Science Daily, the National University of Singapore has been developing a strain
of probiotics and a brewing recipe that's resulted in a tart-tasting beer that's about
3.5 percent alcohol and full of all kinds of live, good-for-your-gut bacteria.
When is the last time you were this excited about probiotics?
Never, right?
In the meantime, you might want to just reach for one of those delicious Belgian beers,
instead.
According to a presentation given at the University of Amsterdam in late 2019, the double fermentation
process most strong Belgian beers go through yields not just a higher alcohol content,
but acids that kill harmful gut bacteria.
Again, moderation is key: drink too much and you'll imbalance your gut in a bad way, but
one a day seems to keep everything working the way it should.
If beer is so good for you and comes with all these benefits, why don't we hear more
about it?
It's complicated.
Most of the studies that discovered the benefits of beer come with a footnote, and it's of
the cautionary variety.
It's easy to see all these benefits as being an excuse to drink too much, and no medical
professional wants to recommend that.
There's also the fact that nothing acts on the body alone, and along with even moderate
beer consumption comes other things to consider, like other medical conditions, medications,
and family history.
And then there's the fact that research on the effects of alcohol is tough.
For example, when researchers discovered the link between a lower risk of heart disease
and moderate drinking, they also said that further testing would be difficult, even calling
most extensive studies "ethically questionable."
And then, there's the warning from the Arthritis Foundation.
While beer has been shown to reduce inflammation and might help relieve the symptoms of arthritis,
there are cases where drinking can do more harm than good.
There are also other medicines that can be prescribed to have the same effects often
without the same risks and drinking too much can definitely make the bad consequences outweigh
the benefits.
“You okay buddy?”
“No I am in so much pain right now.”
Bottom line?
Moderation is key, the benefits are there, but when in doubt, check with a qualified
medical professional.
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