Beer Make You Healthier?

[allhandl]

This is my first thread so go easy on me.

I am going to try this out on your guys before I take it to the wife. I need to make sure there are no flaws in my presentation.

I drink beer daily and look forward to that after-work brew (or two). For the past few years I have not gotten sick once. I mean nothing. My family has had everything from the common cold to the Rotavirus. I have 3 small kids and they bring home every disease the school district offers, yet somehow I keep chugging along (literally).

Somehow 2 weeks ago this woman who sleeps beside me talked me into not drinking for a week and eating healthier. I did. Four days into my new (temporary) life style, I wake up with the flu.

Do you think she will let me use the money I pay into health insurance for some new brew supplies?
:rockin:

..great Forum guys!

 

[brewagentjay]

:rockin: I hear you I think perhaps could work. She might require you test one more time so at least one more time of being sick to prove point....

Perhaps this is what is wrong with me. I don't drink daily any more and lately I getting sick from kids stuff.....

 

[samc]

Can't 100% buy the argument, maybe she will. LOL

But I do think that when you make drastic changes to your diet you stress your body and make it easier to catch crap. Go back to drinking - fast!

 

[Edcculus]

Yes. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the only known natural enemy of H1N1.

 

[allhandl]

Yes. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the only known natural enemy of H1N1.

Oh now that is good material right there. Now I Just have to figure out how you say it.

 

[TheMan]

I have never noticed getting sick more while not drinking regularly...I just don't get sick often. But, to help your argument you could sneak in some scientific facts lol. Like the antibiotic affects of hops, which would attribute to keeping sickness away. They are also used in herbal medicines.

Furthermore, if you like hoppy, bitter beers...bitterness actually aids in digestion, which in turn helps to reduce acid indegestion.

She cannot argue with these facts. And these might help her realize that you actually did research to prove yourself haha.

To even further her siding with you, be sure you get her sick as well. This way she knows that every time you get sick she likely will also. If she keeps you healthy and lets you have your beer, she won't get sick as often lol

 

[Teromous]

So this is what came out of the healthcare summit.

 

[klyph]

I find yeasty beers to be an excellent stool softener.

 

[bob1852]

I can provide corroborating evidence!

Same thing with me. If I don't drink for awhile, I get a cold or sore throat. If I feel a cold coming on, I'll up the beer intake.

I haven't been sick in a long time. You're not the only one brother!

Let us know her response!

 

[KingPin461]

I have to agree with the OP, I have the same exact situation. My 2 kids get sick then the swmbo follows soon after, but somehow it always skips me. This is an excellent thread, I have been wondering if its been my beer all along.

I'm gonna add this to my next batch of bottle labels....."helps with nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, whining kids and wife for best sleep you ever got with a cold IPA."

copyright infringement?? Nah......

 

[bknifefight]

I don't know if she'll let you drop the health insurance for brewing supplies unless you can heal a broken bone with beer

 

[RogerMcAllen]

I don't have the proper citations handy but:
-Yeast helps promote healthy intestinal flora, and stimulates the immune system
-Dissolved silicon from the barley promotes strong bones
-Moderate alcohol consumption lowers LDL (bad cholesterol), and can actually help raise HDL (good cholesterol)

 

[Retarded_Penguin_Brewing]

I don't know if she'll let you drop the health insurance for brewing supplies unless you can heal a broken bone with beer

you drink the beer then fashion a splint out of the bottles and tada!

 

[bob1852]

and you can then write off homebrewing costs on the taxes as medical costs

 

[BenS]

I find yeasty beers to be an excellent stool softener

This might backfire. SWMBO's hate the gas. Hate it furiously....

 

[BenS]

and not to interject, but think thread seems a bit alcoholic to my particular SWMBO. "Honey, if I don't drink, I get sick!"

Let the jury show that I disagree with her.

 

[ajwillys]

This thread is crazy. I've been working the late shift this week and that combined with the wife being pregnant, have probably only had 3 beers all week (which is basically nothing for me). Yesterday and today I've been popping the throat lozenges and feeling like I'm coming down with something.

Sounds like I need to go straight home from work and have a beer or three.

 

[allhandl]

you drink the beer then fashion a splint out of the bottles and tada!

HAHAHA. These responses are awesome.

The pros may need to help me on this but I feel confident I can tweak my wort chiller into a fashionable splint. I think we can always go smaller just not larger, right?

 

[Tripod]

This thread is brilliant. I'm taking notes over here! "Honey, I simply MUST consume more homebrew!"

Don't forget the RDWHAHB aspect of consuming homebrew. If you worry less could it be argued as an anti-depressant? Better than valium for anxiety, maybe?

-Tripod

 

[concussed]

Beer makes me happy, therefore healthy!

 

[menschmaschine]

1 or 2 homebrews per day are probably healthier than none at all. Homebrew (and some, but few, commercial beers) have yeast still in suspension instead of being filtered out like most commercial beer. So, homebrew is an excellent source of B vitamins.

But it's probably just coincidence that you got sick. You haven't been sick in a while and your immune system was presented with a virus with a virulance and amount of exposure it couldn't handle. Plus, it's just that time of year when there is a lot going around. Especially here in DE. I've known quite a few people getting sick lately (mostly colds). You might consider a flu shot next year.

Getting sick sucks, but at least you've gone a few years without getting sick! The age group of 30s to 40s is probably the peak of your body's immune system. You get sick a lot when you're young, not so much in middle age, and then when you hit 50 or so you start to get sick more again.

My 4 month old daughter has a cold. My wife just told me she's getting it. So, I'm probably next in line.

Hope you get better soon!

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

The brain and muscles get a good work out every time your reflex actions save you from falling over for no apparent reason. The skills honed during this exercise combined with your lack of fear while imbibing can be useful in all sorts of emergency stuations:- For instance, saving cats from burning buildings, pushing old ladies from the path of a moving car etc.

Beer saves lives!

 

[Retarded_Penguin_Brewing]

"The quality and taste of beer continued to improve. Besides offering taste and fellowship, beer was considered to be important for the constitution, with the ability to induce strength, health, and relaxation. From the earliest times right up into the 1800s, many considered beer to be the most effective medicine known the drink from the gods"


just found that off a website tonight describing the history of the german beer stein. use this as a solid arguing point with your swmbo and you're golden.

 

[jjones17]

Great post! Lol!

I actually have gotten healthier from drinking beer, and its provable. Here is how it went:

1 - Started to homebrew
2 - Liked it alot, did LOTS of quality control
3 - went up 2 belt sizes, and felt like I was starting to have the ability to breast feed baby goats
4 - Began jogging 3-5 times a week, and strength training 3-4 times a week.
5 - I now ALWAYS excercise before drinking my daily 1 beer (maybe more on weekends)
6 - I am now in pretty good physical condition. I am never winded, and I enjoy the brain break of excercise. I am still slightly 'overweight', but I am definately much healthier than before (much better blood pressure, I sleep well, I eat more often and smaller portions)

So there you have it, it DOES make you healthier. You just have to make effort to counterbalance the extra 'quality control' we homebrewers need to endure. Certainly, if I did not excersise I would be 20 pounds+ heavier than I am now.

 

[allhandl]

Okay sitting here with a friend in healthcare, he thinks this idea could be shared with Obama and included in Obama Care. Maybe we can get the federal government to subsidize home brewing supplies and beer in general...... I love it, FREE Beer for every man, woman and child in America. If he makes this part of his 2012 re-election campaign I might actually vote for him.

 

[jiggs_casey]

hehehe, i find myself arguing the same point with well, myself on occasion..

I typically do NOT eat anything past it's expiration date. Milk, cheese, whatever. I don't care what it smells like. Fresh or not, past the expiration date, into the trashcan it goes. My wife and son think it's a bit over the top. "Dad it smells fine..."

So, I find a way to justify it with, "Well, the alcohol will surely kill whatever is bad in this..."

 

[JadeDone]

Hops reduce the risk of prostrate cancer, so drink up boys. We ladies want you healthy! Homebrew is loaded with antioxidants too.

http://www.healthnewstrack.com/health-news-1963.html

 

[seabass07]

Yeast nutrient gives us more vitamin B.

Government issued beer would be BMC, so not sure if I want that.

 

[Airplanedoc]

I had a buddy in college that had the exact same problem. Every time he was on the wagon he got sick.

 

[unionrdr]

I was watching a video on youtrub about the tests they do on mummies & such for the effects of the beer they got issued on these little clay tablets for the work they did on the pyramids,etc. They were paid x jugs of beer per day. These small tablets were like the 1st debit cards...just for beer! So,wondering why they were so healthy,they found evidence in the bones of significant levels of Tetracycline! So there you have it,yet another reason home brew is good for you!

 

[KYB]

Here's a couple cents...

When I first started drinking, it was cheap bourbon and cheap beer. I discovered craft beer and got hooked (as did my girlfriend at the time). I always had allergies to where I had to take allergy pills often. I also had small sicknesses here and there, such as a cold. My girlfriend was sick with colds and flus and whatever else OFTEN. Immediately when we started drinking good beer, allergies and sickness stopped. The past few years (from the moment we started drinking good beer and homebrew on a regular basis) has been the healthiest either of us have ever been. I never have allergies and neither of us are ever sick. Now I'm not saying we are immune to everything, but based on the circumstances, it appears good beer has made us healthier.

 

[Indyking]

The answer is NO. To the OP, it was just a coincidence that you got sick during the week you were not drinking. Beer would not make you immune to flu or any other disease for that matter. It is true that certain substances in beer have shown to have beneficial health effects but excessive exposure to alcohol is far less desirable than those benefits. While alcohol is not as toxic as addicting illegal drugs, there is no question it is toxic to the liver, stomach and even brain. We all enjoy our homebrews and I worry about my health sometimes too, but moderation is the key word to keep this wonderful hobby healthy.

 

[KYB]

The answer is NO. To the OP, it was just a coincidence that you got sick during the week you were not drinking. Beer would not make you immune to flu or any other disease for that matter. It is true that certain substances in beer have shown to have beneficial health effects but excessive exposure to alcohol is far less desirable than those benefits. While alcohol is not as toxic as addicting illegal drugs, there is no question it is toxic to the liver, stomach and even brain. We all enjoy our homebrews and I worry about my health sometimes too, but moderation is the key word to keep this wonderful hobby healthy.

Right. We're not talking about getting blackout drunk all the time. Almost anything is bad for you if you take in too much, even water. A beer or 2 a day is not bad for you.

 

[Zeal]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Possible_long-term_effects_of_ethanol.svg

Good and bad moderation is key. Hope this helps.

 

[Indyking]

Right. We're not talking about getting blackout drunk all the time. Almost anything is bad for you if you take in too much, even water. A beer or 2 a day is not bad for you.

Right, but the problem is such that it is very difficult to determine how much is too much for beer. Two beers per day is probably ok for most people but not necessarily true for everyone. Also, getting drunk is NOT a reliable indicator of excessive alcohol consumption either. Alcohol can reach toxic levels in certain people long before causing someone to get drunk.

 

[KYB]

Yea if you're a tiny girl, 2 beers might be too much. Better make it 1.

 

[petey_c]

There you guys go again, trying to muck the water with facts! There I was slowing deluding myself into believing that my beer consumption has been keeping me healthy. I get sick when I see others drinking crap beer, does that count as the same thing?

 

[BryceL]

On numerous occasions, I have taken my blood pressure and pulse before drinking and after I've had a few brews. Without fail my numbers are always lower after I have been drinking a few. Maybe I'm onto some groundbreaking research here?! Realistically, I don't think so...but it is strange. I have low pulse and blood pressure to begin with, but I get in the 110/55 range with a pulse of 46 after 2-3 brews!

 

[Germelli1]

Did anyone else expect the OP to be Asian?

 

[Indyking]

Yea if you're a tiny girl, 2 beers might be too much. Better make it 1.

I have seen good cases of Men, not tiny, who was having problems with chronic (daily) exposure to just 2 beers. Look, I hate to look like the party crasher here, besides I do have my share of craft consumption, but knowing the pathophysiology of alcohol metabolism by our bodies, I avoid as much as I can chronic exposure. People cope differently with alcohol, some have amazing ability to metabolize it, others just don't, but it's up to each one's doctor to help leverage individual risks.