March 28, 2024

I would like to start this post just by saying that I know that there are many horrors of alcohol abuse and not just benefits of beer and that there are many reasons why drinking alcohol may lead to an early exit.

But at the same time I just bottled my fourth batch of home made beer, Barons Beer actually, and thought that it would be fun to come up with a great big list of why beer is good for you.

Health Benefits of Beer For All Of Us

Cancer preventer – A compound found only in hops, which are used to make beer, have been discovered as benefits of beer to prevent cancer.

Of course we all know that hops are an ingredient in beer and therefore Xanthohumol has high hopes of making the beer a new anti cancer drug.

Xanthohumol flavinoids have been tested and its use is hoped to be a preventative treatment against prostate and colon cancer and even may be a form of hormone therapy for women.

Getting your vitamins – A friend of mine used to say there is a pork chop in every glass of beer but recent studies show that there is vitamin B6 in beer increases the level of vitamin B6 in a beer drinkers blood which has been shown to decrease the level of homocysteine which increase the chances of heart disease.

Reducing chance of heart disease – another of the benefits of beer is that alcohol drinkers had higher levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, often called the “good” cholesterol, which is a protective form of blood fat.

The alcohol drinkers also had lower levels of fibrinogen, a protein that promotes blood clots, as well as elevated levels of other molecules (platelets) that prevent the clotting and stickiness of blood cells.

Reduction in Kidney stones – A Finnish-U.S. study of beer-drinking, middle-aged men was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology in 1999.

The report stated that an increase in beer consumption may reduce the risk of developing kidney stones. Results showed that there was a 40 percent lower risk of kidney stones in beer drinkers, but the researchers were stumped as to whether the benefits of beer results were due to water, alcohol or hops.

Health Benefits of BeerDefying the bad of X-Rays – Beer helps reduce chromosomal damage from radiation exposure thanks to beta-pseudouridine.

According to a study by the Japanese researchers from the National Institute of Radiological Sciences, and the Tokyo University of Science Blood samples were taken from test subjects before and after they had drunk about 630ml of beer.

Apparently, when the samples were exposed to X-rays and other types of radiation, after the subjects had drank the beer their samples showed at least 30% fewer aberrations in the blood cells.

Memory Booster – A Swedish team has shown that mice fed with moderate amounts of alcohol grew new nerve cells in the brain.

The full implications of the Karolinska Institute research – which appears in the International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology – are unclear on the benefits of beer, but Stefan Brene told the BBC:

“We believe that the increased production of new nerve cells during moderate alcohol consumption can be important for the development of alcohol addiction and other long-term effects of alcohol on the brain.”

Slow the Aging Process – In a study published in the March issue of International Immunopharmacology, scientists at Austria’s Innsbruck Medical University found that hops, a key ingredient in beer, affect the production of neopterin, a telltale sign of inflammation, and levels of the amino acid tryptophan (low levels are associated with more inflammation.)

Keeps you Awake – Although there is no caffeine in Beer, beer was found to reduce neopterin production and suppress degradation of tryptophan, according to a study. (Tryptophan is also commonly cited as the reason people feel tired after gorging on Thanksgiving turkey.)

This suppression might be connected with the calming effect of beer,” the researchers note, “since its normalizing effect on the tryptophan balance improves the availability of the ‘happiness hormone’ serotonin.” And who wouldn’t want happiness to be more available?

OK and now a few more benefits of beer from me

Relaxation – This is a good one for almost anyone that has sat on a patio on a spring or summer afternoon. The relaxation and relief of stress is famous for those having a beer even if the conversation always seems to turn to those office politics that get everyone riled up.

Reduces inhibitions – As we all know there are times we wish that we had gotten up and said something, either to those at work or a pretty girl at a bar and for this the alcohol in beer is a very good lubricant to the mind and mouth and will help in those situations where shyness gets the better of us.

Excuse for bad behavior – although there is no link to bad behavior and beer, many people have been known to say or do bad and ridiculous things and in the case where someone had consumed to much beer before this well there is a good excuse just waiting to be used.

So the next time someone looks down their nose at you for the stories that you tell about the night before and the beer that you drank. Come back here and point out that you were just doing the healthy thing there are benefits of beer and having a couple of beers is great.

35 thoughts on “Health benefits of Beer

  1. Beer is good or bad but its not normal for any human to nab his / her senses with some chemicals hence the one which is not normal is bad . On all this article you guys have not mentioned the choloestrol part . So is it good or bad . Just by suffixing it we are encourage a substance which is a evil for the society.

  2. @John (from April 5th 2009 at 4:05am)
    This is a site that someone has put together to try and help spread information regarding health… with that in mind, what kind of immature person starts out there comment with a rude; “are you an idiot?”? … all of the negative effects of beer that you rambled of in your innapropriate comment are caused by alcohol ABUSE… which is irrelevant, considering that the article states and emphasizes “moderation” time and time again in an attempt to hammer home the message for simple minded folk such as yourself.

    @Robert (from June 8th 2008 at 4:32pm)
    The health benefits of moderate beer consumption are very well documented and proved to be accurate by numerous scientific studies… if you are indeed a “heart doctor” as you claim to be, then I feel sorry for your patients and will be sure to tell any friends looking for a heart doctor to “avoid the ‘Roberts'”.

  3. I was drinking 6 beers a day and was going to stop. But after reading this I will now continue. Thanks !

  4. beer-with little amount of barley with some hopes and with some small quantity of alcohol.I drink every weekend.Whether its good or bad im going to continue it.I love it. I wil never stop

  5. Like everything else, moderation is key. Of course radically elevated consumption will eventually cause serious health conditions to emerge. But 1 glass after a hard day isn’t a problem.

  6. well i drink at least a 12 pack a day…more than a case a day on weekends…so i am no amateur…just went to the lab and my liver enzymes are a little high but within normal range…i take milk thistle and an artichoke supplement along with a lot of vitamins and minerals….the biggest problem is magnesium with alcohol consumption….hey..drink all the beer you can..just don’t go with more alcohol content is my advice…for what it is worth….the sham (a german/irish/english person….what a good combo for an alkie)….peace

  7. Are you an idiot?

    “(Tryptophan is also commonly cited as the reason people feel tired after gorging on Thanksgiving turkey.)”

    While it is true that it is commonly cited as the reason people feel tired after gorging on Thanksgiving turkey, it is a proven fact that there is no Tryptophan in turkey. It is an urban legend.

    Beer makes people feel more awake, but it is a downer. A depressant. You know…something that doesn’t make you wide awake.

    Lets not forget the terrible facts that any alcohol consumption has on the liver. Why doesn’t anyone very mention the negative effects anymore?

    Endorphins make a person happy. There are a number of ways to release endorphins…such as chewing gum, riding a motorcycle, or anything else you do for fun. That doesn’t mean I should get on a bullet bike and go 140 mph in a school zone. The rush is good for me…but the way I get it isn’t. The same goes for alcoholic drinks. There may be some things it provides that are so called “good for you”, but it isn’t from the alcohol, its from whats mixed with it. Take red wine for example. Its good for the heart…but so is non-alcoholic red wine. So what is really good for the heart? The grapes? or the alcohol?

    Just so you know…

    Chronic heavy drinking can lead to alcoholic hepatitis, and cirrhosis. It causes Cardiorespiratory Disease, which weakens the hear muscle (causing cardiac myopathy), elevate blood pressure, and increases the risk of stroke. Brain damage is another factor, as it creates vitamin deficiencies, especially of thiamin…or Vitamin B1. Cancer of the liver, stomach, and colone, as well as malignant melanoma (skin cancer). Digestive problems…and more.

    I know this is almost a fun work of satire, since I too read all the crazy theories on the justifications of the consumption of alcohol, but some people might actually believe this crap. So hopefully this clears up some things. 😉

  8. Well i find that beer has always made me feel good, and that is not just the alcohol. I feel that the hops barley and all even if pasturized is still very good for me.

  9. wno yo solo queria darles la gracia
    por que yo stoy haciendo un trabajo sobre el alcohol
    y esta pagina me a ayudado un poco
    ………

  10. Your article was quite intriguing and the information quite useful. Will check your site often to see other great posts you make! Regards

  11. Who’s a heart doctor? I hope you were not referring to me. Anyway there is absolutely no way that beer is in actual fact good for you.

    I researched everything I could find about beer being good for you just because I was bottling some home made beer that I had brewed and knew that the downside of alcohol consumption far outweigh any health benefits of drinking alcohol.

    I tell you I certainly had fun writing this article and finding all of the studies that say good things about beer. I am not sure if you are aware but most studies are done at universities so there is a good chance that the young or young at heart anyway would be interested in the health benefits of beer.

  12. Are you mad? The above paragraph has just written to kid… Do not belive the above lines. BEER is always bad for health. DO NOT DRINK BEER.

    Robert
    Heart Doctor

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