“Beer, if drunk in moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit and promotes health.” – Thomas Jefferson, third U.S President
In years past if someone asks about the nutritional value of beer, people would have just laughed at them. Today, recent research has shown that this isn’t as foolish a question as people would like to think. Beer does have its fair share of nutritional benefits that can be extremely helpful to the body if beer is consumed in the right amounts regularly.
If you have yet to realize how beer can be helpful to your health goals, check out the nutritional value of beer and the recommendations that follow concerning how you can best incorporate beer into your daily diet without the harms that also come with excessive alcohol consumption.
Nutritionists agree that Beer is great for building stronger bones. This is because Beer has generous amounts of silicon which come from its primary ingredient, malt. Silicon is a well-known mineral necessary in the synthesis of strong bones because it works with calcium to improve bone density. Silicon is also known to enhance calcium metabolism so your body is better able to extract calcium out of the food you consume. A 2011 study showed that pale ale is the beer that has the richest silicon content, so pale ale drinkers are more likely to benefit from its nutritional value than drinkers of other types of beer.
Another great nutritional value of beer, according to scientists is that it can be helpful when it comes to improving the heart’s health. This can be traced to the moderate amounts of alcohol in beer which acts as a vasodilator which is a chemical that relaxes the blood vessels and stimulates it to dilate.
Dilation of the blood vessels increases its size, lowering the work that the heart has to perform to pump blood to the various parts of the body. This is vital for lowering the risk of cardiovascular diseases which are often caused by a fatigued and stressed out heart.
Beer has also been known to vastly improve kidney functions. Doctors explain that alcohol is a diuretic. It stimulates the secretion of urine as a normal mechanism for cleaning the alcohol out of one’s system. As it turns out, this repetitive urination stimulates the kidneys to perform better because it cleanses the bladder and kidneys from accumulated salts which often lead to the onset of kidney stones.
There are also studies that have shown how beer can mitigate the leaching of calcium from the bones to the blood stream; excessive leaching of calcium will eventually lead to a calcium build-up in the kidneys causing kidney stones. Minimizing the leaching, therefore, minimizes the precursor for kidney stones.
Beer also has been found to continue significant amounts of vitamins, particularly B-vitamins which are abundant in grains like malt and in hops. Because beer is primarily made from these ingredients, the B-vitamins are eventually transferred to the beer which can help improve digestive and brain functions. Scientists also submit that the nutritional value of beer extends far beyond its alcohol content and also includes vitamins and minerals which are at the root of our belief in what constitutes as beneficial food.
Actually, Beer has a rich and fascinating history but its role in the social, cultural and economic development is little understood or appreciated. Back in the middle of the twentieth century, when diets were poor and nutritional levels often low, beers such as stouts were frequently prescribed by doctors as a quick and cheap way of giving patients access to deficient vitamins and minerals,“ explains Dr. Jack Edmonds, a private GP in Central London
When many people are presented with an option of wine or beer, they typically choose wine due to the numerous health benefits it is believed to have. However, according to new health research, one shouldn’t be too quick to dismiss the latter option. New studies on the health benefits of beer indicate that there are plenty of benefits to be gained from the drinking of beer. However, these reports do emphasize that moderate consumption is the only way to fully receive all the health benefits associated with beer.
Most beers are made from very healthy ingredients including water and yeast as well as wheat and barley.
Presented and perceived as unhealthy, fattening and responsible for countless accidents , but in actual fact, beer contains zero fat; zero cholesterol. It also contains fibre, low calorie content – about as much as orange juice. Beer is rich in B vitamins and minerals (magnesium, silicon, potassium) and high in anti-oxidants.
Most interesting is the fact that beer is low in alcohol compared with many other alcoholic beverages.
Since Beer is mostly made from barley, when malted, barley is a very rich source of B group vitamins including:
Niacin (B3) which helps convert food to energy; Riboflavin(B2) – for healthy skin, hair, blood, and brain; Pyridoxine (B6) – prevention of anaemia; Folate(B9) – vital for new cell creation; Cobalamin (B12) – Helps memory, prevents dementia, and numbness in the arms and legs.
It is these vitamins which, research is suggesting, are providing the protection against cardiovascular disease, especially when compared to red wine and spirits.
Research on the fermentation process that results in the creation of beer has revealed that a number of the vitamins and antioxidants present in these ingredients survive the process and are absorbed by your body every time you have a drink. As such, beer is a healthy source of fibre, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants.
Similar studies compared the calorific value of beer with those of other alcoholic beverages. While most may believe that beer is a large source of empty calories, the studies actually reveal that beer has a lower calorific value when compared to those of other alcoholic beverages. These studies seem to shown that an answer to the question – is beer health? – could be yes.
According to recent studies, one of the possible health benefits to be gained from moderate consumption of alcohol is decreased risk of heart disease. Studies based on the drinking habits of over 200,000 people in Italy revealed that drinking beer moderately reduced the risk of heart disease by 31%.
Light beer drinkers also have decreased chances of developing a stroke. Moreover, the alcoholic beverage is thought to have more than one mental benefit. Studies on beer drinking and mental health indicate that moderate beer consumption may actually help improve cognitive function in individuals aged 65 and over. Moreover, similar studies show that light consumption of beer may also help reduce the risk of individuals developing dementia. So, is beer healthy? In moderate consumption, yes.
There are a number of health studies which indicate that beer may also be useful in reducing the risk of one developing Type 2 diabetes. Moreover, research on the effects of beer also indicates that beer helps increase good cholesterol levels, commonly referred to as HDL, while lowering the bad (LDL).
Researchers agree that in all the studies moderate consumption was the determining factor as to the health benefits that one receives. Moderate consumption of beer would be two daily glasses for men and one daily for women. If this rule is followed beer consumption can be good for your health. However, if much more is drank the answer to – is beer healthy.
