Posted on 01/19/2015 12:16:36 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
When it comes to beverages with benefits, wine always seems to get the credit. If you're a brew lover, that might make you want to cry in your beer. But before you do, you'll be glad to learn that, like wine, beer delivers some decided perks as well.
"A cold beer is the perfect way to relax at the end of the day, it tastes great and, in moderation, it can even be good for you," says Ethan A. Bergman, PhD, RD, CD, FADA, past president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Here are five ways your favorite brew can enhance your health.
It's Heart Smart
While wine gets all the glory for its heart-healthy benefits, beer consumption may have a similar effect, according to a 2012 study in the European Journal of Epidemiology. Italian researchers reviewed 12 studies that separated wine and beer consumption, and found that moderate drinkers (about one pint per day) had a 42 percent lower risk of heart disease than non-drinkers. The comparable protective benefits to wine could be because both contain polyphenols, shown to have antioxidant properties that may help your heart, the researchers write. No benefits were found for other alcoholic spirits.
It's Kind to Your Kidneys
That brewski may reduce your risk of developing kidney stones, according to an article in the Winter 2011 issue of ADA Times. Researchers found that beer lowered the risk of kidney stones in men compared to other alcoholic beverages, possibly due to its high water content and diuretic effect. Compounds in hops may also slow the release of calcium from bone that is implicated in kidney stones.
It's a Surprising Source of Fiber
Who knew that beer contains fiber? Made from barley, beer contains beta-glucans — a type of soluble fiber credited with lowering cholesterol levels. A 12-ounce bottle of lager sports 0.75 grams of fiber while the same amount of dark beer boasts 1.3 grams. Don’t get too excited: The recommended daily amount of fiber is 25 grams for women and 38 grams for men. After age 50, your daily fiber needs drops to 21 grams for women and 30 grams for men.
It Provides Brain-Boosting B Vitamins
That cold one has another hidden health benefit: One 12-ounce beer supplies 3 percent of the daily recommendation for vitamin B12, which plays a key role in brain and nervous system functioning, as well as blood formation. It’s also a source of folate, niacin, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and vitamin B6. However, the alcohol likely trumps any of the B vitamin benefits, though. In fact, a 2011 study in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology found alcohol dulls brain signals responsible for self-control.
You'll Strengthen Your Skeleton
While heavy drinking can weaken bones, a beer or two may make them stronger. Beer is rich in silicon, an element found in few foods and drinks, which has been linked to stronger bones. In a Tufts University study, men who drank between one to two beers a day had hip bone densities three-and-a-half to four-and-a-half times greater than teetotalers.
While these benefits sound great, it’s important not to read them with beer goggles on. Moderation is the key word here. Typical recommendations for beer and wine consumption are no more than one drink a day for women and two for men, but are heavily reliant on age, gender, genetics and body type. That means science won’t back up your decision to knock back an entire six-pack and you shouldn’t start drinking just for the health benefits.
I just started fermenting my first batch of wort this last Saturday - even better homemade!!!
Beer makes you smarter and ugly women pretty.......
The down side of beer is that hops are not good for male sexual potency. I wonder if all the young guys guzzling today’s fashionable heavily-hopped beer realize that?
After reading that a frosty friend would taste pretty good.
(I saw it on a t-shirt in a bowling league, once).
Beer is a good start.
Who drinks just one glass of beer?
That always annoyed me because throughout my adult life, I've been 6'3" and average about 250 pounds. I can go through a six pack during the course of a night and not even feel the effects of it. Now I can see where somebody half my size might catch a buzz on a six-pack but I would have to drink it pretty quickly.
I've been averaging about 4 glasses a beer a night (or the wine equivalent) for close to 40 years and I'm in perfect health.
Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.
Ever watch the History of Beer on History? Beer halls were the only place where colonials would meet up and plan strategies on how to overthrow the Brits out of America. Without beer, there would be no America. :)
I’ll drink (hic) to that.
Ya had me at
Have a Brewski!
Clink!
Beer is good food!
Also, never forget this very important nugget from Cliff Clavin:
“Well ya see, Norm, it’s like this... A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo. And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first. This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.
In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. Excessive intake of alcohol, as we know, kills brain cells. But naturally it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first.
In this way, regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine. That’s why you always feel smarter after a few beers.”
I've done extensive reading on beer...never heard of that before. Source?
The Green Dragon Tavern was very popular as a gathering place for patriots . and Yes. They imbibed as they consorted&connived to kick the crown to the curb.
If I knew of a brand that tasted good, maybe I would drink one. All of what ones that I tried all burned or were just really bitter.
But then there's this:
In fact, a 2011 study in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology found alcohol dulls brain signals responsible for self-control.
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