4 health benefits of beer
I'm always a little skeptical when I see an article about the health benefits of beer. This is because I know that we're not drinking beer for our health; we're drinking beer because we like drinking beer. It tastes good and it's a delivery system for alcohol, both of which make drinking beer an enjoyable pastime. It's frequently part of friendly social interaction, which has its own health benefits. That said, when people talk about the health benefits of beer, they're talking about incorporating it into your lifestyle. Moderation usually comes up in the last sentence as a brief disclaimer. Moderation as it is usually discussed tends to mean having one or two 5% bottles of beer a day. That is probably not applicable to your life. One day you might have three or four and then go a couple of days without. Moderation is about averages and developing good habits. Overindulgence comes with its own problems, and from the point of view of this list, the main one is that it tends to negate most benefits you might derive through moderation. Beer's health benefits should not convince you to drink more beer since balance is the key to obtaining them. With that disclaimer out of the way.
B vitamins
B vitamins are necessary to your continued existence and beer tends to contain quite a lot of them thanks to the yeast that converts sugars into alcohol. Many mass-produced beers are filtered for clarity which tends to negate this effect. Drinking less-filtered beer such as cask ales or local microbrews will allow you to retain more B vitamins. You might also try a brewer's yeast product like Marmite, although many people would claim that the taste is worse than vitamin deficiency.
Reduces risk of kidney stones
A Finnish study from 1999 suggests that drinking beer tends to lower the risk of kidney stones in men. The study opines that this is due to the large volume of liquid and diuretic properties that are associated with beer. The additional liquid seems to dilute calcium crystals which might otherwise form stones. If your choice is between drinking beer and attempting to pass a kidney stone, I have to recommend the former.
Bone Strength
Beer contains dietary silicon, which is a key ingredient in increasing your bone density. It turns out that beers made with an all barley mash tend to be higher in silicon than those made partially with wheat or corn, so there's a good argument to be made for choosing an all malt beer on that basis. Strong bones mean that you'll be less likely to break something when you utter those dreaded words: Hold my beer and watch this.
Soluble fiber:
Beer contains soluble fiber in the form of beta-glucans. They are stored in the husk of the barley used to make beer. For brewers, they tend to be a real problem and contribute to a sticky mash. For you, they're pretty useful. Regular, moderate consumption seems to help maintain healthy levels of cholesterol. Beer is a great deal tastier than Metamucil, and it will be, until they come out with an IPA-flavoured fiber supplement.
4 health benefits of beer
Well there ya go guys.
I'm always a little skeptical when I see an article about the health benefits of beer. This is because I know that we're not drinking beer for our health; we're drinking beer because we like drinking beer. It tastes good and it's a delivery system for alcohol, both of which make drinking beer an enjoyable pastime. It's frequently part of friendly social interaction, which has its own health benefits. That said, when people talk about the health benefits of beer, they're talking about incorporating it into your lifestyle. Moderation usually comes up in the last sentence as a brief disclaimer. Moderation as it is usually discussed tends to mean having one or two 5% bottles of beer a day. That is probably not applicable to your life. One day you might have three or four and then go a couple of days without. Moderation is about averages and developing good habits. Overindulgence comes with its own problems, and from the point of view of this list, the main one is that it tends to negate most benefits you might derive through moderation. Beer's health benefits should not convince you to drink more beer since balance is the key to obtaining them. With that disclaimer out of the way.
B vitamins
B vitamins are necessary to your continued existence and beer tends to contain quite a lot of them thanks to the yeast that converts sugars into alcohol. Many mass-produced beers are filtered for clarity which tends to negate this effect. Drinking less-filtered beer such as cask ales or local microbrews will allow you to retain more B vitamins. You might also try a brewer's yeast product like Marmite, although many people would claim that the taste is worse than vitamin deficiency.
Reduces risk of kidney stones
A Finnish study from 1999 suggests that drinking beer tends to lower the risk of kidney stones in men. The study opines that this is due to the large volume of liquid and diuretic properties that are associated with beer. The additional liquid seems to dilute calcium crystals which might otherwise form stones. If your choice is between drinking beer and attempting to pass a kidney stone, I have to recommend the former.
Bone Strength
Beer contains dietary silicon, which is a key ingredient in increasing your bone density. It turns out that beers made with an all barley mash tend to be higher in silicon than those made partially with wheat or corn, so there's a good argument to be made for choosing an all malt beer on that basis. Strong bones mean that you'll be less likely to break something when you utter those dreaded words: Hold my beer and watch this.
Soluble fiber:
Beer contains soluble fiber in the form of beta-glucans. They are stored in the husk of the barley used to make beer. For brewers, they tend to be a real problem and contribute to a sticky mash. For you, they're pretty useful. Regular, moderate consumption seems to help maintain healthy levels of cholesterol. Beer is a great deal tastier than Metamucil, and it will be, until they come out with an IPA-flavoured fiber supplement.
4 health benefits of beer
Well there ya go guys.
