Anybody concerned about this hobby on their health?

[CliffMongoloid]

There have been studies that drinking a beer after exercising is better than drinking water and it replaces key nutrients. http://www.bodybuildingpro.com/drinkbeerworkout.html it may just be "bro science" but just like you said in the OP moderation is key. Anything in excess is bad for you. If you drink too much and get drunk you tend to lose inhibitions and eat more. I have noticed in myself that if i go out and have a day/night drinking and eating i will gain as much as 10 to 12 pounds and then in a few days when i get my eating back on track im back down to where i was before... Its water/ sodium weight.... but i understand ur concern... we all struggle with it... ur certainly not alone

Eat right watch you carbs (make sure they are complex oats wheat bread instead of white things like that) drink plenty of water and when ya wanna have a few beers exercise and the beers will be a reward.

 

[heferly]

Draft mag just covered drinking and running...cant remember the specifics but beer didn't effect runners as much as you'd think

 

[BrewerinBR]

Been brewing just over 1 year and have lost 30 lbs since I now drink only home brew or craft beer. I actually drink more now than I did before I started brewing. Simply changed where the carbs are coming from. Eat more protein and less carbs so I can drink my carbs. All things in moderation...thats the key.

 

[Crito]

I never got plastered with homebrew

I have gotten drunk (puking) drinking commerical brew a few times in my life.

Home brew, I might of had a small buzz but nothing else. For some reason I enjoy the homebrew and not the buzz from it.

Its weird, isn't it?

 

[TzeentchPlayer]

I'm not terribly concerned about how beer affects my health. Like others have said, it has benefits similar to wine when taken in moderation. I have 1-2 a night like others here as well.

Hell, I gained more weight from quitting smoking than when I started brewing beer. In fact I don't think I gained anything when I started brewing. Nicotine does that to you. Having a significant other tends to make me gain weight too. :fro:

Here lately me and my girlfriend have been using MyFitnessPal on our phones to keep track of our caloric intake and excersise. So far we've both put off 5 lbs in the past 2-3 weeks.

 

[CliffMongoloid]

I'm not terribly concerned about how beer affects my health. Like others have said, it has benefits similar to wine when taken in moderation. I have 1-2 a night like others here as well.

Hell, I gained more weight from quitting smoking than when I started brewing beer. In fact I don't think I gained anything when I started brewing. Nicotine does that to you. Having a significant other tends to make me gain weight too. :fro:

Here lately me and my girlfriend have been using MyFitnessPal on our phones to keep track of our caloric intake and excersise. So far we've both put off 5 lbs in the past 2-3 weeks.

Keep it up bro! small changes over the course of a few months can add up

 

[brooksy]

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/02/17/one-mans-crazy-diet-nothing-but-beer-and-water/

*ahem* lurker post

 

[AdamPag]

Actually, I was reading some health articles a few months back, that Non-Alcoholic Beer(gay) Is one of the best possible things you can drink AFTER exercise. It turns out, the high water content + protein, carbs, calories, PLUS the major compounds from brewers yeast we're missing in our diets is about the best thing you can put in your body post work out. The ONLY thing bad for you in beer is the alcohol... That magical mysterious alcohol...

 

[DannPM]

OP LOL, not at all. I drink like a good deal. I had a standard blood panel two weeks ago, liver perfect, kidney perfect, weight in check (1 hour of cardio a day at least prolly helps), everything was perfect. I'm not worried at all.

 

[bottlebomber]

I would have to say examine the other lifestyle choices before pinning the extra weight on the beer. I drink a ton of water during the day, and my sodium intake effects my weight more than anything else. I also try to not drink 2-3 nights out of the week

 

[venquessa]

In the UK we have the "unit" system. A unit of alcohol is approximately 20ml. Whats that in fl.oz?

It is used as a gauge for the drink driving limit and for healthy drinking recommendations.

It is also used to describe what is too much.

The current drink drive limit is 2 units. Which equates to 1 pint of session beer of 5%.... actually I think 1 pint is about 2.1 units. But as long as you don't drive immediately, you'd be fine. Of course the proper answer is, just DONT DRINK AND DRIVE, not even 1 unit.

The current recommendation for a healthy moderation level is no more than 4 units for men, and 3 units for women a day. If you drink more than that in one day they call it "binge drinking".

They also say that for every day you drink you should have 2 days without to allow the liver to clean up properly before you add more. 2 days is how long the liver takes to finish processing all the intermediate stages of alcohol break down.

If you drink 4 units a day, everyday, that will be 28 units a week. Which probably won't lead to any major problems on it's own. However, if you start drinking your 4 units (2 cans) a day and then go out and drink 5 pints ( 10 units ) on both weekend nights (like I might) it quickly adds up to 40+ units a week.

There are case studies that show liver degradation will occur at this level if it's kept constant for years on end.

Most of the case studies they used in the article I read where of people who drank 40-50 units a week for decades and then went on a "lads weekend" and drank constantly in Spain or wherever for 5 days straight. They died of liver failure as their liver was weakened enough that it simply could not cope with the levels of toxins and failed. Instant death.

 

[casperjah]

This is a great thread.

I have worked in the bar industry here in Ireland for a period of 15 years. I now work with families and come across a lot of alcoholics and other addictions. I have yet to meet an alcoholic who home brews.

I began home brewing to save money.

However the added benefit ifs now more important;
HOME BREW DOES NOT DO AS MITCH DAMAGE AS COMMERCIAL BEER. It is better as the main component of a hangover and damage is the chemicals. Go out and drink a crap alcohol free beer in the pub and you will have a bad hangover the next day.

To moderate I only drink on weekends mostly. Been homebrewing for 2 years now and no weight gain yet. Only time I get a bad hangover is after the pub.

 

[VladOfTrub]

I have only two beers a day. The first one and the last one.

 

[JonM]

This hobby introduced me to meat smoking and I'm more worried about THAT hobby's effects on mine and SWMBO's health. There's no fat in pork butts, right?

Half joking, of course. Fatty pork is a sometimes food and we'll enjoy it in moderation.

 

[homebeerbrewer]

I solved the weight gain problem by going on a strict, all grain, liquid diet.

 

[mattne421]

i allow myself a couple beers about once every fourth day mainly because i lift heavily on most days and alcohol can interfere with muscle recovery. so on my resting day i indulge myself with a couple beers.

 

[jimmayhugh]

Eat right. exercise hard, die anyway...

 

[brushvalleybrewer]

Is anybody seriously suggesting that they would drink less beer if they did not brew it themselves? Don’t blame the hobby if you consume more calories than you expend. Put a treadmill in the brewery and get in a few miles during the mash!

 

[Airborneguy]

Draft mag just covered drinking and running...cant remember the specifics but beer didn't effect runners as much as you'd think

The calories in beer are fairly easy to work off. Being a runner, I rip through the beer calories. Anytime I want to lose some weight, I just need to deal with my food calorie intake.

 

[smuth10]

Cocaine diet, works every time.

Seriously, if you have one or two a night, I don't think it's a big deal. Or just drink on weekends. Or walk more. Or get out of the hobby. Lemme know what equipment you have, maybe I"ll take some of it off your hands.

Just fantastic!

 

[venquessa]

Only time I get a bad hangover is after the pub.

I have found that I can drink 6 cans, (or even 8!) on a week night and get up for work the next day with only a mild hangover. Similarly I can drink 2-3 litres of home brew and only have a mild hang over (assuming I have eaten and got at least 6 hours sleep).

However if I go to the pub after work and drink 2 or 3 pints I will have a fierce hangover.

I have been told by barmen that this is almost certainly as a result that "most bars do not flush their pipes anywhere near as often as they should, due to it being a hassle to do". Therefore all the crud that build up in the pipes is being transfered to the beer week in week out.

As a result if I do go to the pub, I now order bottled beer.

 

[FatherJack]

Concerned about health problems?

I drink on average 2 pints of homebrew a night, 4 or 5 nights a week. My resting heart rate is 45 bpm, I haven't been sick in over 8 months, I can burn over 1,300 calories an hour on my elliptical machine at the gym. I have a small pudge of a tummy, but it doesnt negatively affect me.

I eat a fairly clean diet and beer is the "worst" of my intake. Am I concerned? Not one bit...If I was downing 4 mountain dews a day with ice cream and eating sausages and french fries for dinner, I would be worried.

 

[smuth10]

I think there are a lot of factors to weight gain, like people's genetic predisposition. I have friends that can east 3-4k calories a day and not gain weight. Myself on the other hand....

With that being said, staying away from bad food (IE: soda, fast food, processed food, GMO's, preservatives, chemicals) goes a long way to a healthy lifestyle. Just knowing what it is in my beer is one of the main reason I brew.

Do I think beer has a negative effect on my health? Not really. That is, unless I go out to the pub and drink (6) 12% beer at Kuhnhenn Brewery.
I think the overall picture is much more important than worrying about a couple of beers ever day or every other day. Just my 2c.

 

[ChuckO]

Everyone has talked about the effects of drinking homebrew on liver and weight gain. What about the effects on exercise? A hand crank grain mill, lugging water, lifting and carrying the wort to the fermentation chamber. These are all healthy activities, good exercise. These are also health factors due to homebrewing.

 

[Beardedterror]

I've cut back significantly on my drinking since I started homebrewing. I originally started because it was cheap beer, but enjoyed craft brews occasionally. Then I got hooked on making better quality beer, and I started appreciating it for the taste instead of the alcohol. Now I drink only craft beer, and have no problems keeping myself to 1 or 2 a night. My body has definitely thanked me for it.

 

[GryphonBrew]

I'm 6'3", 245 lbs, at about 8-9% body fat. I workout 4-5 days per week, heavy lifting. I even have an old half barrel That I fill with gravel for overhead pressing... So brewing can be healthy!

I've been brewing and drinking craft beer for 15+ years now and it's by far the least of my concerns towards overall health.

 

[casperjah]

I have found that I can drink 6 cans, (or even 8!) on a week night and get up for work the next day with only a mild hangover. Similarly I can drink 2-3 litres of home brew and only have a mild hang over (assuming I have eaten and got at least 6 hours sleep).

However if I go to the pub after work and drink 2 or 3 pints I will have a fierce hangover.

I have been told by barmen that this is almost certainly as a result that "most bars do not flush their pipes anywhere near as often as they should, due to it being a hassle to do". Therefore all the crud that build up in the pipes is being transfered to the beer week in week out.

As a result if I do go to the pub, I now order bottled beer.

The flushing taps and is not an issue as much any more here in Ireland as most breweries do their own taps to make sure the chemicals are flushed out. Quality can be dubious at times through and this can be down to ether individual pub.

 

[Yooper]

I do drink too much beer- at least several classes a night.

I exercise, watch what I eat, and get a physical every year. I haven't even had a stuffy nose in a year or two.

I'm very healthy, my liver enzymes are good, my cholesterol is low, my blood pressure is 90/50, and my pulse is 65. I don't have any health issues, and I don't take any medications at all, not even aspirin.

I weigh 135 pounds and am a size 4. I'm almost 48 years old, and I can outrun/outlift most 25-year-old women who are too fat and eat junk. I'm pretty lean and slim, and fit.

Life is about choices. I haven't had a doughnut in 25 years, or a Doritos chip. I can't tell you the last time I had bread. So, yes, I'm very concerned about my health. But not because I drink beer.

I'm concerned about every American being unhealthy because obesity is killing our nation, including children who are being diagnosed with diabetes in an unprecedented rate (as are adults). I"m concerned that "school lunches" are absolute crap and that physical education is being cut out of schools. I hate being run over in the store by a young (my age) overweight person who needs to drive a scooter to get through Wal-Mart. Those are my bigger concerns.

 

[venquessa]

The land of the free becomes the land of the fat. I don't think us Ulster people are that far behind you though.

 

[CourtHouseBrewing]

I think I'm much healthier since I started to home brew. I don’t sit in front of the TV and eat and drink. I get out more, build brew equipment, lift and move all the water and gear around when I brew every weekend. So I feel much better now than before. Thanks to brewing I never have to buy beer from the store. I may be addicted to this hobby put I don’t need intervention just someone to brew with. I’m off to start my first all grain a Bee Cave Haus ale. Good health to all.