National Beer Lover’s Day: 13 Scientific Benefits of Drinking Beer - Dispatch Weekly

Sit back, relax and crack open a cold one because today on 7 September, it is National Beer Lover’s Day.

Beer belly, burping and combining pointing with drinking are some stereotypes of beer drinkers. But it’s time to dust off these generalizations because drinking beer is scientifically proven to be good for you.

#1 Lower Risk of Heart Disease

According to research, drinking beer in moderation (at around 5 percent alcohol volume a day) can lower your risk of heart disease by 42 percent compared to non-drinkers. So leave guilt at the door the next time you decide to pop open a cheeky beer after work.

#2 Lose Weight and Forget the Beer Belly

State University of Oregon found that drinking beer could help you lose weight.

This is because a compound called xanthohumol can lower chances a condition that indicated obesity, increased blood sugar and blood pressure, later developing into metabolic syndrome.

If substituting going to the gym with drinking beer sounds too good to be true, that’s because it is.

The researchers later found that in order to reap the benefits of the ‘miracle’ compound, an individual would have to drink over 3,500 pints of beer a day, by which point they would die.

#3 Protect Your Vision and Stop Cataracts

According to researchers at the University of Western Ontario, antioxidants found in beer, stouts and ales help protect against mitochondrial damage.

Cataracts develop when mitochondria, a part of the cell that converts glucose into energy, are damaged.

Antioxidants help protect the mitochondria against damage. And the way to do this? By drinking a beer a day, as recommended by the researchers.

#4 Increase Your Vitamin B Levels 

A Dutch study asserted that beer drinkers had 30 percent higher levels of vitamin B6 than non-drinkers.

This is because beer contains vitamin B12, an anti-anemic factor also found in foods such as, fish, crab, soy products, red meet, eggs, cheese and low fat dairy.

This is because beer contains vitamin B12, an anti-anaemic factor also found in foods such as, fish, crab, soy products, red meet, eggs, cheese and low fat dairy. 

#5 Live Longer, Drink Beer 

Virginia Tech researchers learned that during a period of time, moderate beer drinkers were 19 percent less likely to die compared to non-drinkers.

Forget the gym, expensive creams and facials; the fountain of youth apparently is in drinking. Cheers to that.

#6 Protect Yourself Against Alzheimer’s and Improve Memory

Can’t remember cellphone numbers, where you last put the keys, your work colleague’s name?

A study by researchers at Lanzhou University found that Xanthohumol, a compound found in hops used to flavor beer could protect the brain from such degenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Jianguo Fang, who led the research, said that Xanthohumol helps guard the brain against oxidative stress, a contributing factor in neurodegenerative conditions.

#7 Prevent Type 2 Diabetes

Dutch researchers found that men that drank beer moderately over 4 years were less likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The key to the findings were that the 38,000 male health professionals that were analyzed drank beer lightly.

#8 Reduce Stress and Anxiety

According to Mayo Clinic, alcohol reduces the risk of dying of a heart attack and may reduce the risk of strokes.

#9 Stronger Bones

A study by National Institutes of Health found that beer that contains higher levels of silicon could contribute to a higher bone density, helping with growth and repair.

#10 Keep Your Kidneys Healthy

A Finnish study found that beer was better than other alcoholic drinks as each bottle of beer reduces the risk of developing kidney stones by 40 percent.

#11 Lower the Risk of Developing Gallstones

The Mayo Clinic asserts that beer drinking can reduce the risk of gallstones that are made when a build up of cholesterol and bile forms causing stomach pains.

#12 Beer Helps With Insomnia

Not getting enough sleep at night? Cranky by day? Grab a beer because it might just make you feel more relaxed.

According to Indiana University School of Medicine, tasting beer increases dopamine in the brain, resulting in the recipient feeling calmer.

The researchers emphasized that this effect was achieved at a taster sample of a15 milliliter serving, or one tablespoon of beer. So going to sleep early only takes a sip, not a bottle of beer.

#13 Beer and Mental Acuity

Help keep a clear head by drinking beer lightly. According to The New England Journal of Medicine, a preservation of mental acuity was recorded, particularly with older women who drank been moderately.