I love beer. Six-packs are usually on my grocery list, and I like to keep the fridge stocked. Something about coming home from class to a refreshing Blue Moon (my mom’s favorite) or a Yuengling (shoutout to my home state of PA) is great. I’ve heard there are health benefits to drinking wine, but there are also health benefits of beer, besides being a nice, cold drink. Maybe now there can be a legitimate reason for keeping beer around. I’m drinking for my health, mom.
The Benefits
For starters, beer actually has a higher vitamin B content than wine. Beer includes minerals that are important to your metabolism. This can be useful and have a positive impact when consumed in moderation.
Xanthohumol is often used in brewing beer, which has been shown to be very helpful in preventing cancer. Beer has also been shown to help with other health problems such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Drinking beer can be good for the heart due to its fibers. These fibers can also aid in cleaning the digestive tracts. Vitamin B6, which is contained in beer, prevents blood clots from forming that could cause cardiovascular disease. Moderate consumption of beer has been connected to lower prevalence of type 2 diabetes in studies.
Beer has been shown to increase bone density, which could prevent bone fractures. In addition to B6, beer also contains vitamin B12, which helps maintain a normal growth, good memory and concentration, and a lack of which could cause anemia, which is a blood disorder. Beer can even lower the risk of having kidney stones, due to its magnesium content.
If you want to stay #youngforever, a moderate amount of beer may help with that. Beer increases the effect of vitamin E, a major antioxidant that helps to keep skin healthy and slows down aging. Of course, beer can seemingly lower stress and aid sleep, like other alcohol, but I don’t think anyone would be too surprised by that.
These are a few of the health benefits that have been linked to beer, due to some of the elements it contains.
It’s not just for drinking…
If you don’t like to drink beer (because you’re crazy), you can cook with it too. Beer can be used in dishes such as stews, mac and cheese (bless beer cheese), vegetables, and marinades. Cooking it also eliminates the alcohol.
Drink Responsibly
One crucial thing to remember is that while there can be health benefits of beer, this is if it is consumed in moderation. Again, key word: moderation. Excessive drinking can be negative for your health, and we should always remember to drink responsibly. To help you out, moderate consumption equates to no more than one 12 oz glass of 5 percent alcohol by volume a day for women, and two glasses a day for men.
Binge drinking should be avoided, and partying all night and pounding the beers will not help you out. Moderation, people. Have a beer a day and feel good about it, but going crazy is NOT healthy. Remember that this is a middle ground, but I’ll take any health benefits I can get.