It's official.....beer is good for you.

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whitehause

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Pretty good article, the wife was less impressed with it than I was though:D


A couple brews a day keeps the doctor away?

Beer lovers, rejoice! Not only does beer taste great, it can also be good for you. Here are six reasons why:

1. Decrease Incidence of Heart Disease
There are more than 20 well-done, large international studies that all demonstrate the heart benefits of moderate alcohol consumption. One study, conducted by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) noted a 20-40 percent decrease in coronary artery disease in moderate alcohol drinkers. (1)

Now, that doesn’t mean drinking more is better. Drinking beer responsibly is drinking healthy. Moderate consumption of beer (alcohol) results in an increase in HDL (good Cholesterol) and a decrease in LDL (bad cholesterol), along with an improvement in both HDL and LDL particle size. (3)

2. Hops of Vitamins
A Dutch study showed a 30 percent increase in Vitamin B6 in beer drinkers, which makes sense because hops are loaded with this nutrient. This is good news for your cardiovascular system, as vitamin B6 helps to battle heart disease.

3. Decrease in Kidney Stones
The Journal of Epidemiology revealed a 40 percent decrease in kidney stones among beer drinkers. This is most likely secondary to the hydration from the beer since we don’t note a similar finding with other alcohol consumption.


4. Benefits for Women
The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says beer helps prevent a decrease in bone density. It is also high in flavonoids (from the hops) which act as a natural hormone replacement.
The National Osteoporosis Risk Assessment followed over 200,000 females and found that drinking alcohol decreased the incidence of osteoporosis (7). All of this leads to a decrease in hip fractures in elderly females, which is important because hip fractures after the age of 65 are associated with a significant increase in mortality.

5. Beer Makes Your Head Clear
That’s right: drinking the right amount of beer is good for your mental health.
The New England Journal of Medicine reported a preservation of mental acuity, especially in elderly women, who drink alcohol moderately.

There are numerous studies that show that moderate alcohol consumption not only decreases the incidence of Alzheimer’s but also improves memory, concentration and reasoning. (6)


6. Stroke Reduction
Multiple studies consistently show up to a 50 percent reduction in the risk of strokes in moderate alcohol drinkers. Most notable was a study in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) (4).

The American Stroke Association has stated that two alcoholic drinks per day can decrease your incidence of stroke (5)
Remember, the health benefits of drinking beer and alcohol in general are based on moderate consumption, which means two beers per day for an average size man and one beer a day for average size women. Many of the benefits described above are lost when alcohol is consumed excessively, and drinking alcohol excessively can have a serious negative effect on your health.

This story originally appeared on Inspiyr.

Sources
1) Hennekens,C H Alcohol and Risk of Coronary Events : National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. US Dept. of Health and Human Services
2) Sesso H.D. & year changes in alcohol consumption and subsequent risk of cardiovascular disease in men. Archives of Internal Medicine, 2001 160 2505-2612
3) Mukamal, K.J. Alcohol consumption and lipoprotein subclasses in older adults. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 2007 April, PMID: 17440017
4) Sacco, R.L. The Protective Effect of Moderate Alcohol Consumption on Ischemic Stroke, Journal of the American Medical Association. 1999, 281, 53-60
5) Stroke.org/site/preiguide
6) Espeland,M. Association between alcohol intake and domain-specific cognitive function in older women. Neuroepidemiology, 2006, 1(27), 1-12
7) Siris, E.S.. Identification and fracture outcomes of undiagnosed low bone density in post menopausal women; Results from the National Osteoporosis Risk Assessment. Journal of the American Medical Association, 2001, 286(22), 2815-2822
 
My middle son the gym rat & health nut found a write up that says the alcohol in beer negates any absorbtion of b vitamins. I forget where he read it though...
 
I really want to hear a definition of moderate consumption. Did any of the studies give the definition they worked with?
 
#3 is pretty much determined to be due to the hops. Anyone interested can search hops and kidney stones.
 
4-5? Can't imagine what their bellies look like.
 
My middle son the gym rat & health nut found a write up that says the alcohol in beer negates any absorbtion of b vitamins. I forget where he read it though...

I've read about how alcohol decreases protein synthesis, which is why I don't like to drink on days I've hit the gym, but I haven't heard anything about B vitamins.
 
Yeah, but who HBT drinks "moderately". Not only to they brew and drink beer when they get a chance, but they read and write about it nearly daily. Haha. You can call me out, I'm sure there are a few that drink moderately. I can take the heat.
 
looneybomber said:
I've read about how alcohol decreases protein synthesis, which is why I don't like to drink on days I've hit the gym, but I haven't heard anything about B vitamins.

I think that what you have heard means proteins produced in the liver, like albumin and other blood born proteins. I don't think it would affect protein synthesis in the muscle itself.
 
tennesseean_87 said:
I really want to hear a definition of moderate consumption. Did any of the studies give the definition they worked with?

2 drinks a day for men, 1 for women

1 drink = 5oz 12% wine, 12oz 5% beer, or 1.5oz spirits

Edit I guess I was beat by 2 minutes!
 
This is great! There is also the hobby aspect. Having a fun hobby like this to escape to has benefits as well.
 
I've read about how alcohol decreases protein synthesis, which is why I don't like to drink on days I've hit the gym, but I haven't heard anything about B vitamins.

Heard the same thing. Honestly, having a few beers the night after the gym isn't going to hurt. You are still building muscle and the amount that it decreases your gains is negligible. I've even read a study that said that beer is the best post workout drink because it hydrates you better than water. Don't care either way, not gonna stop me from my post gym pint! :mug:
 
Very nice. I did a blog entry about my own experiences with the heart health aspect of moderate beer consumption, and it ended up getting reprinted in BYO magazine. I really like how the various benefits are all put together, here. I was completely unaware of the Alzheimer's link.
 
Remember that there are positives and negatives with everything. While a moderate amount of alcohol may show benefits to heart health, risk of liver damage increases with the same amount of modest alcohol.
 
I agree with this study. I've never had a heart attack, kidney stones, or stroke. :p
 
Was the article on the internets?? If so do you have a link? I need to show my wife this!!!!
 
Was the article on the internets?? If so do you have a link? I need to show my wife this!!!!

It was on the Comcast homepage a couple days ago. I just copied and pasted the article, so what your seeing is the actual article( though I know wives like more proof ):mug:
 
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