Anybody concerned about this hobby on their health?

[Airborneguy]

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.

You know what, from that perspective, you're right, most of us posting here actually are concerned about our health and intake. I was looking at the question more as "Do you worry that your intake is affecting your health?", but should have thought of it as "Are you concerned about your well-being?"

 

[Lunchtime]

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.

They key is to freeze the Mt.Dew down to slush and pour it ON the ice-cream...Now we're talking!

 

[bottlebomber]

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.

This needs to be put in as your bio

 

[Calichusetts]

make smaller batches.

This!

After reading a few of the posts, I have to say I am a little shocked at how people are kidding themselves that this isnt a health problem. Acknowledge it and judge for yourself how much damage you want to do to your body.

I personally can not do 5 gallon batches as having 50 amazing beers in my basement fridge would be to tempting. People who say they are healthy while drinking 2-3 beers a day and many more on a weekend are out of their mind.

Do what you want, its a motto for brewing and for life, but realize what you are doing. Personally, I would rather drink 2 bombers of amazing beer on a friday night that consume a 6-pack or more of great "session" beers. I pay for it the next morning if I drink 4 or more beers and at best consume 10 beers a week (something like a superbowl weekend).

 

[stevehardt]

I agree that as long as one drinks in moderation, watches what they eat, and exercises regularly there's no need to worry.

I would add that the relaxation the hobby provides (most times!) also has health benefits.

 

[NOISEpollution]

Before I took an interest in beer I had dropped 60 lbs from where I previously was and became fascinated with being in shape. Months later I discovered beer, spent thousands of dollars trying every beer I could get my hands on, became a cicerone beer server, started brewing, became a certified cicerone, started kegging, became a master cicerone, gained 10 lbs back that year. Now, I'm able to manage my drinking so I've lost some weight but I still struggle to get into the gym as often because I'm afraid to work out after tasting my beers.

 

[cl330b]

Personally, now that I brew my own beer, I drink less now then I did earlier in life. I never buy 12 packs or cases of store beer anymore and only buy one or two craft beers and enjoy them for the flavor and not the buzz. Plus, I don't mind waiting for my homebrew to finish up. If i am in between batches, i just dont drink. I do attribute this hobby to helping me drink less. Now if I could just stop eating so much, I think I would be in better shape.

 

[Wingy]

As with everything, enjoy in moderation. Moderate consumption (I think current CDC guidelines are 2 drinks/day for men and 1 drink/day for women) is associated with decreased risk of death generally compared to non-drinkers and heavy drinkers.

The association is a bit counter-intuitive - although ANY consumption of alcohol increases your risk of certain cancers (gastric, esophageal, and liver in particular, with some evidence of breast cancer as well), moderate consumption diminishes the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Since cancer is rare (even if you are twice as likely to get cancer as a beer drinker, if the baseline risk is 1/1000 your new risk is only 2/1000...) and CVD is common, the decreased mortality from CVD more than offsets the increased risk of cancer.

However, once you get into heavy consumption mode, which varies greatly (an Italian study defined it as more than 80(!) drinks per week, while an American study set the limit at 27), the risk of cancer starts to increase dramatically and CVD mortality goes way up as well. Alcohol is then one of the few examples we get in epidemiology of the "J-curve" for risk and it's in pretty much all of the textbooks.

Beer (particularly homebrewed beer with more yeasties) can be a good source of micronutrients (Vitamin K and some of the B vitamins). In this respect it is probably "healthier" than non-bottle-conditioned commercial beers, but this would be very difficult to test.

So while my consumption of beer has gone up since I started brewing (from maybe 5 beers per week to 8), it's more spaced out and I'm more likely to have one beer each night and maybe 3 at a pub, whereas before I would drink less often but more each time I drank. Unless your average nightly consumption starts doubling or tripling, health effects will probably be minimal.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

I don't have the time to drink that much during the week or risk being hung over during the week. I have a crappy metabolism so I have to be at least semi-health conscious with my diet. Otherwise I'd end up really overweight (again) and I prefer being in decent shape. So I limit my drinking and try to contribute most of my calories to more macronutrient-rich food and less to beer. I do a fair amount of working out but with a slow metabolism it's always an uphill battle. I'm still about 15-20lbs off ideal weight (ideal being a six pack) and about 10lbs. off reasonably happy goal weight. I definitely put on some weight when I started homebrewing but it also coincided with other life changes that were partially responsible for the weight changes. I've taken all of it back off though.

However, I don't judge others for their choices.

 

[eichlerguy]

I share the concern: urge for craft beer research at war with urge for healthy. I ride road and MTB anywhere from four to six hours a week and observe a quasi-primal diet, including fasting. Sounds like others are similarly mindful of diet and exercise. Would I like to drop those last five pounds? Sure. And but for the beer, it'd prolly be gone. Do I want to give up a hobby I love for those five pounds. Nuh uh. It's a compromise worth making.

Cheers!

 

[LitterBox]

I didn't really expect this topic to get as many responses, but maybe it touched a sore spot with some. The point of my post wasn't to judge anybody, get anyone wound up or criticize the hobby. Hell, I have 45 gallons of home brew in my house waiting for me to drink and 10 more gallons planned for next weekend. So to the person who said to get out of the hobby and give them my brewing equipment, come and pry it from my cold dead hands.

I love this hobby and it has become extremely therapeutic. My wife even mentioned that I was happier a few weekends ago because I had my brew day all planned out. I have gotten into quite a few expensive hobbies (Saltwater Reeftank and building cars), but neither has really got my attention like brewing beer. I grew tired of rolling around underneath my car and swapping motors just to have to fix something new that breaks or goes wrong and I'm about to throw the towel in on reefkeeping because I don't have enough time to keep up with tank maintenance. Brewing has been really fun and when we move in a few years, one of the main things I'll be looking for is a room that I can dedicate to brewing.

Now, with the whole health thing, I mention it for obvious reasons. Alcohol is a poison to living things. Sugar coat it anyway you want, it's a poison. I'm aware that small amounts aren't going to kill you and there are far worse things you can put into your body, not to mention that the liver is the only organ that will regenerate. Secondly, a single beer is 150+ calories, so 2-3 on a weeknight and 6-7 on Friday & Saturday certainly add to one's caloric intake. Realistically, I know that my schedule is partially to blame as started going back to school to become a pharmacist. I don't have much time anymore, so I don't eat as healthy as I'd like and I don't exercise as often as I'd like, so I know that's a large part of the weight gain. On the other hand, 300+ additional calories a night and 900-1,000+ additional calories each weekend day certainly have contributed without a doubt. I didn't drink this much before I started homebrewing because I didn't enjoy commercial beers this much. I love home brewing and I'm not going to stop brewing or drinking it. I do however feel that I have a valid concern that I must address some lifestyle issues because I'm going to continue this long term.

Happy Brewing everyone.

 

[bottlebomber]

^^ well, yeah we're all alcoholics in denial so of course it struck a cord You never know what will get a thread rolling... I started one one time about an old guy that showed up at my work and I found out he was a home brewer using the exact same recipe and yeast from his original vial of 001 for 7 or 8 years. Before I knew it it had 200 posts and someone had started a "which is nastier, Belgians or Tofu" poll thread based off mine lol. You never know what will get people going.

 

[weirdboy]

Now, with the whole health thing, I mention it for obvious reasons. Alcohol is a poison to living things. Sugar coat it anyway you want, it's a poison.

So is water, and yet if we don't get enough of that we'll die in pretty short order. Beer has also been shown to improve cardio health when consumed in reasonable quantities.

So I think that, like with everything else one consumes, if you do so in moderation, there isn't much to worry about for most people. If you are taking certain meds, maybe it's a different story, but generally speaking I am not, and I don't think people should be, concerned about brewing or beer on their health any more than they should be worried about other foods.

 

[runningweird]

I run around 25 miles a week - i eat pretty clean and I usually only drink the alcohol I make at home.

i feel good about my hobby.

 

[ABrewingApe]

I'm considering dialing back my batch size for health reasons too. Having a lot of beer around does mean I drink more of it, and as a woman I'm apparently courting a grim doom if I have more than 1 per day. Which sucks. One beer is not a lot of beer, and I love beer.

I'm healthy and I want to stay that way. I also don't want to fuss more than I already do about exercise or calorie-counting. Basically, I don't want to re-calibrate my life for the primary purpose of being able to drink more beer. All joking aside, that doesn't seem like a good idea.

 

[IanPC]

There are more dangerous hobbies out there. Scuba, rock climbing etc...there are always risks with hobbies. Take a break if you're concerned...I would. If you love beer...and brewing, than you should do it. If you have an ailment that prohibits you from doing so then that's something different altogether.

 

[EdawgTheMighty]

I have several health concerns without alcohol. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and I recently had surgery to remove an infected bone in my right foot. My doctor told me that one beer a day won't hurt me. So that's what I do, and well I'm not concerned about it honestly.

Thankfully I have a SWMBO who enjoys craft beers and a friend who drinks like a fish. lol. I just love making beer more then drinking it, and I do love drinking great beers. I guess I am rambling here. Sorry!

 

[Airborneguy]

Dude, 26... take care of that ****! Good luck and I hope it all worked out.

 

[EdawgTheMighty]

Well I'm proof to get a physical once a year, a good one. I was an apparently uncontrolled diabetic. No good, but I have no complaints. Makes that one beer taste so much sweeter...

 

[jonmohno]

So is water, and yet if we don't get enough of that we'll die in pretty short order. Beer has also been shown to improve cardio health when consumed in reasonable quantities.

So I think that, like with everything else one consumes, if you do so in moderation, there isn't much to worry about for most people. If you are taking certain meds, maybe it's a different story, but generally speaking I am not, and I don't think people should be, concerned about brewing or beer on their health any more than they should be worried about other foods.

I would have to agree,flouride(a drug) but 60% of america uses this sodium flouride-which is a byproduct of the glass metal industry which leached it into the water system and classified it as safe. Good for cavity's Yes good for bone no! good to injest into the body wtf?no! Sold as baby water-yes--wtf? Hard to filter yes,cancer yes,osteoperosis ummm ya think?scam scam scam,fraud fraud fraud. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Basically illigal in Europe but somehow "they" conssider it good for us peons of Codex.I dont even want to begin thinking about the rest the blind are led. Until then its sugar coated diets-60% corn like they fatten cows,choc full of gluten high fructose laden,hydronated bs.FDA approved of course.Revolving doors and heavy lobbyist controlling the u.s.

 

[TangleFoot]

Dang boy's all this discussion and debating is making me thirsty

Myself, I have actually lost weight on the home brew.

In fact, Back in 05 I had a bad heart attack, and guess what, I was drinking commercial beer back then.

Then after a couple years, I got into the wine making and brewing, and ya know what.....ain't had a heart attack since.

SOOO....it must be more healther

Later TangleFoot-out

 

[EdawgTheMighty]

I love you train of thought.

Enough evidence for me!

 

[HawkATP]

Don't worry about the homebrew, worry about the sugar! All calories aren't the same! Read the book "4 Hour Body" FTW.

 

[kh54s10]

No. If I worry about things I have stomach problems, if I don't worry, no problems. Hence I don't worry, drink what I want, be careful that I don't go overboard and really enjoy the hobby!

RDWHAHB:rockin:

 

[jonmohno]

True,true,worrying is half the battle.Think if you never drank a drop but were constantly worrying and stressing yourself out all the time,self medication and is safer than prescription medication in most cases. But maybe just Believe in Jesus he made wine he would have made beer though in later times maybe.I bet it would have been a nice river of ipa too.I bet everybody was fillin their carboys up.

 

[Nugent]

While I may not drink less than before, in terms of volume, I'm consuming less alcohol. I brew session beers almost exclusively.

 

[Stevo2569]

True,true,worrying is half the battle.Think if you never drank a drop but were constantly worrying and stressing yourself out all the time,self medication and is safer than prescription medication in most cases. Believe in Jesus he made wine he would have made beer though in later times maybe.I bet it would have been a nice river of ipa too.

Ummm, IPA River. I'd live in it and never leave.

 

[Naptown]

Ummm, IPA River. I'd live in it and never leave.

hilarious...

 

[bscott1011]

I only drink 6-7 beers a week so I'm too concerned about the negative effects. I think my obsession with BBQ is much worse for my health though I'm smoking alot more turkey and venison than pork now.

 

[postal_penguin]

I drink a beer or two every day. But I commute to work by bike which adds about 700 calories to my caloric needs which two beers and a snack fill perfectly.