Does Homebrew Boost Immunity?

[Brulosopher]

Currently, my wife and both of our kids are struggling through common colds, of presumably the same rhinovirus strain. I’m known for getting 2-4 colds per year, usually with the changing of each season, or whenever I come into close proximity with someone who has a cold. Except for the last year. While I’ve been brewing for awhile, I’ve only had a constantly full kegerator since January 2012… and that’s truly the time I recall catching a cold (knocking on wood as I type this). Part of the reason I think it might be associate with homebrewed beer and not commercial is because I’ve always drank commercial beer, even when I was catching a few colds per year. Ever since building my kegerator and brewing larger batches (to build up the pipeline), I consume approximately 1 to 2 pints of my own homemade beer per work night, and a, ahem, tad more over the weekends. This research article found that wine, particularly of the red variety, “may have a protective effect against common cold.” While similar effects were not found for beer drinkers, I wonder if that has to do with the fact most commercial beer is filtered, potentially stripping out any cold-busting elements. Perhaps this sounds far-fetched and totally anecdotal, but I’m telling you, since my beer consumption has switched from mostly commercial to almost totally homemade, I have not experienced anywhere near as much illness. Another example: a week ago both my wife and daughter contracted a stomach bug- juicy out of both ends for 18+ hours. I was fine, despite my physical closeness to both of them. Hmm…



Anyone else out there experience something similar?

 

[Brulosopher]

Woops... here's the link to the abstract of the article I referred to: http://m.aje.oxfordjournals.org/content/155/9/853.fu

 

[daksin]

Wine is similarly filtered, so I don't suspect it's that. I haven't noticed any change in my general health apart from massive weight gain which is only partially due to my beer intake.

 

[45_70sharps]

I think most of these statistics are just people looking at groups of people and finding something that they can say is numerically out of the norm.

You could take left handed people and go disease by disease ( cold, flu, cancer, whatever ) and through random chance you will find things like left handed people have a 5 or 10 percent higher or lower instance of whatever.

People being paid to pour through the numbers and look for things that don't fit. Never attributing it to random acts of the universe.

 

[m_stodd]

Since hops is a natural preservative, theoretically if you injected enough beer directly into your bloodstream, you wouldn't have to worry about getting sick ever again!

 

[Revvy]

Brewer's yeast is often used as a source of B-complex vitamins, chromium, and selenium. The B-complex vitamins in brewer's yeast include B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid), and H or B7 (biotin). These vitamins help break down carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, which provide the body with energy. They also support the nervous system, help maintain the muscles used for digestion, and keep skin, hair, eyes, mouth, and liver healthy.

http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/brewers-yeast-000288.htm#ixzz2CLLlZybw

 

[Nightshade]

I agree it is a kind of "dumb luck" thing, but I have also noticed that since I switched to drinking both my own beer and only micros that I have been sick far less.

I also attribute it to having dropped about 60lbs currently and switching from a sedintary lifestyle to a far more active lifestyle and a big change in eating habits which probably has a lot more to do with it than the style of beer I drink occasionaly.

 

[Chipman]

At a pretty awesome and really small brewery back in MA, there was a worker who consumed plenty of craft unfiltered brew daily. To the point of him being buzzed continuously. Never a day sick since he started doing that. One week he quit drinking, came down with a cold, flu, sore throat etc etc. Went back to the beer and was totally fine again.

Coincidence? I think not. Reason to drink that much? I also think not. But as the saying goes: "Having a homebrew or two, will keep the doc away from you"

..yeah I did just make that up but it sure sounds good yeah?

 

[johngault007]

This forum is enough scientific evidence for me to consume a couple beers a day. Apart from that, I haven't noticed much difference since switching over to predominately home brewed beer. Like others, I am in very great shape and tend to force myself to eat healthy most of the time (it gives me calories to consume on beer). And I believe that is more important than anything else.

But this is great stuff all the same!

 

[DrVertebrae]

The B vitamins enhances your health and thus your imunity. So drink up. God made beer and beer is here. So drink it!

 

[chumpsteak]

I swear and tell people often that anytime I take a few days or week off from drinking my homebrew I catch a cold. Has happened multiple times.

 

[SavoryChef]

I have only had one sick day in probably 17 years, and beer is part of my diet.

 

[sudsmcgee]

Plus, alcohol can lower stress levels and reduced stress boosts the immune system.

 

[HeavyKettleBrewing]

Homebrew has had quite the opposite affect on me. At a typical 7%, I find myself feeling lightheaded and euphoric more often than not. I have also formed severeal forms of OCD, beginning with a need to sanitize most everything I come in contact with.

 

[RM-MN]

Homebrew has had quite the opposite affect on me. At a typical 7%, I find myself feeling lightheaded and euphoric more often than not. I have also formed severeal forms of OCD, beginning with a need to sanitize most everything I come in contact with.

And what is wrong with that??:fro:

 

[zachattack]

Homebrew definitely boosts immunity.

Drink enough of it and you'll be immune to pain.

 

[beernut70]

Yes....homebrew make you invincible. Hope your family is feeling better.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

There are many known medical benefits of drinking moderate amounts of alcohol. Unfortunately, the increase in consumption of alcohol also presents increased resk of alcoholism. Therefore, the medical does not and most likely will never discuss these benefits openly.

 

[Brulosopher]

Well, as my family lie in bed working through their colds, I'm up and ready go, clear headed as ever and planning to brew this weekend. I'll blame it on the homebrew, despite the lack of scientific proof... this is Uhhmerica after all

 

[mccabedoug]

Although this is the definition of anecdotal, all I know is that I have not taken a sick day in at least 4 years, probably longer. I never, ever get the flu (no flu shots either) and rarely even get colds, despite having 2 small children. My wife is currently sick as a dog and somehow I know I won't catch her severe head cold. Weird.

 

[Brulosopher]

Although this is the definition of anecdotal, all I know is that I have not taken a sick day in at least 4 years, probably longer. I never, ever get the flu (no flu shots either) and rarely even get colds, despite having 2 small children. My wife is currently sick as a dog and somehow I know I won't catch her severe head cold. Weird.

I'm telling you!

 

[RainyDay]

Someone with a medical background correct me im wrong, but since the cold is a virus, once you're exposed, you have it, correct? And once you have it (a benign virus that doesn't harm you), your body freaks out and goes into repel mode and causes all of the symptoms. Taking vitamins during a cold boosts your symptoms via your immune system (since the symptoms are your body fighting the cold), so your body can flush it out faster. My point being, you cant 'prevent' a cold via substances; if you touch a doorknob with the cold virus, and the rub your eye, you have it. The vitamins are just going to help process the virus quicker. This makes sense to me based on what I know, but again, I do not have my doctorate.

 

[Subsailor]

There are many known medical benefits of drinking moderate amounts of alcohol. Unfortunately, the increase in consumption of alcohol also presents increased resk of alcoholism. Therefore, the medical does not and most likely will never discuss these benefits openly.

My caregiver at the VA unofficially recommended I consume a glass of red wine daily to assist in controlling my cholesterol. Her comment was "from the studies she has read it can't hurt, just don't over indulge!"

 

[Revvy]

My caregiver at the VA unofficially recommended I consume a glass of red wine daily to assist in controlling my cholesterol. Her comment was "from the studies she has read it can't hurt, just don't over indulge!"

Yup, when I began cardiac rehab they checked my cholesterol and the recommendation was 2 drinks a day, a drink being 1 shot of liquor, one glass of wine (4 oz I think?) or 1 12oz beer.

 

[neosapien]

Yup, when I began cardiac rehab they checked my cholesterol and the recommendation was 2 drinks a day, a drink being 1 shot of liquor, one glass of wine (4 oz I think?) or 1 12oz beer.

had to force yerself to listen to that doc advice, eh revvy?

my mom's boyfriend was recommended 2 drinks a day after his heart surgery/rehab as well.

i can't speak to the science behind it at all, but my stomach problems don't feel nearly as severe since homebrew happened. maybe it's a placebo, but it's a tasty placebo.

 

[Gameface]

At a pretty awesome and really small brewery back in MA, there was a worker who consumed plenty of craft unfiltered brew daily. To the point of him being buzzed continuously. Never a day sick since he started doing that. One week he quit drinking, came down with a cold, flu, sore throat etc etc. Went back to the beer and was totally fine again.

Coincidence? I think not. Reason to drink that much? I also think not. But as the saying goes: "Having a homebrew or two, will keep the doc away from you"

..yeah I did just make that up but it sure sounds good yeah?

I was gonna guess withdrawals.

 

[Brulosopher]

Ohhhhhhhh boy... my throat is starting to feel a little scratchy and my nose a tad stuffy... sh!t

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

It boosts my immunity against ****ty beer.

 

[edds5p0]

Someone with a medical background correct me im wrong, but since the cold is a virus, once you're exposed, you have it, correct? And once you have it (a benign virus that doesn't harm you), your body freaks out and goes into repel mode and causes all of the symptoms. Taking vitamins during a cold boosts your symptoms via your immune system (since the symptoms are your body fighting the cold), so your body can flush it out faster. My point being, you cant 'prevent' a cold via substances; if you touch a doorknob with the cold virus, and the rub your eye, you have it. The vitamins are just going to help process the virus quicker. This makes sense to me based on what I know, but again, I do not have my doctorate.

The virus does harm your body, hence the immune response. Just ask someone in an immunocompromised position about how scary getting a common cold can be. Viruses hijack the machinery within a cell to produce more viruses. Vitamins simply ensure that your body has every resource available to mount an immune response to destroy the viruses and infected cells. The "freaking out" you refer to is more in line with an allergic reaction where the body mounts an immune response to an antigen which is otherwise benign, such as pollen or pet dander. Running a fever creates conditions less ideal for viral replication. The malaise and achy feeling are usually a result of the body re-allocating resources to support the immune system in attacking the pathogen.

 

[dbsmith]

Ohhhhhhhh boy... my throat is starting to feel a little scratchy and my nose a tad stuffy... sh!t

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

Quick! Guzzle some homebrew!