15 Health Benefits of Beer

Beer is the most popular drink in the world that comes behind water and tea. It is one of the oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage. Drinking beer is not bad for your health. Rather, it has a lot of health benefits. Beer is extremely low in sugar with few calories depending on the kind you consume. The beverage is made with only four ingredients. They are malt, yeast, hops, and water.

The health benefits of drinking beer outweigh the myths. It is a myth that all men with big bellies are beer drinkers. Some men with big bellies don't even drink beer. Often, it is because of overeating and not exercising.

In order to reap the health benefits of beer, it should be consumed in moderation. Drinking in moderation simply means one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men.

Below are some health benefits of drinking beer in moderation. See the list below of some of the many health benefits.

People who drink a moderate amount of beer may have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and strokes. The New England Journal of Medicine asserts that drinking beer is good for the heart.

The Scandinavian Journal of Public Health Care shared that people who drank beer once a week reduced the risk of having a heart attack and other illnesses.

Researchers found that beer can reduce the risk of osteoporosis and other bone diseases. According to studies, moderate beer drinkers were 38 percent less likely to have osteoporosis.

Beer helps to build stronger bones because of its high silicon content, according to the National Institutes of Health.

The soluble fiber in beer can help reduce your LDL or “bad” cholesterol. Because alcohol interferes with the body’s ability to absorb vitamins and minerals, it can also lessen the body’s ability to burn stored fat, according to the American Heart Association: Circulation.

A study conducted on men in Finland found that they were 40 percent less likely to have kidney stones if they drink beer and wine in moderation. The risks are not as great in people who do not drink in moderation.

Drinking beer could help reduce the risk of people developing kidney stones. People who drink a moderate amount of beer reduce their risk of developing a kidney stone by 41 percent, according to Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology

Studies have shown that people who drink beer are less likely to develop Type 2 diabetes. The results are not the same for people who are already diabetics. Those who already have the disease should be careful because beer can cause blood sugar levels to spike.

Drinking beer can reduce stress and anxiety. While alcohol may help reduce stress temporarily, it should not be considered a permanent cure for stress, according to the American Journal of Psychiatry.

One might think beer would impair the mind and keep a person from being focused enough to be creative. However, people who drink beer tend to be more creative, according to some studies.

Canadian researchers found that drinking one beer daily helps lowers the risk of getting cataracts. It is more enjoyable to drink a beer than to go through the expense of the surgery of having cataracts removed.

Research conducted in Spain found that athletes and others who become dehydrated recover much faster when they are given beer instead of water. Beer is actually a sports recovery drink when consumed in moderation.

Beer is an immunity booster. Drinking the beverage is a good way to reduce the risk of infections and could lower the risks of catching a common cold and having the flu.

Many people suffer from cognitive impairments. Researchers have found that drinking beer helps protect people from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's diseases. Xanthohumol comes from the hops in the beer. Other studies also were done at Loyola University on how moderate beer drinkers were less likely to suffer cognitive impairment.

Drinking beer moderately has been proven to increase cognitive functions, according to the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Hops in beer can help improve and give drinkers a better memory, according to the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.

It is believed that healthy people live longer. Since drinking beer has so many health benefits, people who drink beer tend to be healthy and live longer than those who don't.

Beer has more health benefits than other alcoholic beverages. The beverage varies in its nutritional content depending on the type of beer that you consume. Most beers are around 90 percent water. The other 10 percent includes a rich source of nutrients including iron, calcium, phosphates, carbohydrates, magnesium, selenium, potassium, biotin, chromium, fiber, fluoride, and vitamin B, according to the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.

A 12-ounce bottle or can of beer contains very few calories. Studies show that one of the greatest health benefits of beer comes from its unique antioxidant combinations that may be more powerful than those found in green tea and red wine.

Even though there are health benefits when a person drinks in moderation, there could be negative consequences if a person binge drinks beer. The more you drink the more you put yourself at risk of getting the same diseases that moderate drinking keeps you from getting.

The Bottom Line

The content in this article is for informational purposes only. It does not come from a licensed medical professional. It is not to encourage people to drink beer. If you don't already drink beer, this article is not a recommendation that you should start. If you already drink beer, drinking it in moderation is key.

The goal of this article is to let consumers know that beer has many health benefits. There is no need to feel guilty for drinking beer once or twice a week for enjoyment as well as for health benefits.