Beer could safeguard your heart, boost your immunity, protect your bones, and more. Ready, set, drink up.
It’s National Beer Day, which seems like as good a reason as any to savour a pint of the amber nectar (though not Fosters, obviously – these days the selection on offer is much better than that).
1. Beer lowers the risk of kidney stones
Last year, a study suggested that the risk of developing kidney stones decreases with increasing beer consumption.
Decrease Incidence of Heart Disease. Now, that doesn’t mean drinking more is better. Drinking beer responsibly is drinking healthy.
2. Beer protects you from heart attacks
A research team at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania found that dark ales and stouts can reduce the incidence of heart attacks.
3. Beer reduces the risk of strokes
Studies by both Harvard Medical School and the American Stroke Association have shown that people who drink moderate amounts of beer can cut their risk of strokes by up to a 50pc, compared to non-drinkers.
4. Beer strengthens your bones
Beer is known to contain high levels of silicon, an element that promotes bone growth.
But you have to get the balance right. Academics at Tufts University in Massachusetts found that whilst one or two glasses of beer a day could significantly reduce your risk of fracturing bones, more than that would actually raise the risk of breakages.
5. Beer decreases the chance of diabetes
In 2011, Harvard researchers found that middle-aged men who drink one or two glasses of beer each day appear to reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to 25pc.
6. Beer reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s
Studies dating back to 1977 have suggested that beer drinkers can be up to 23pc less likely to develop cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.
7. Beer can cure insomnia
Beer is a natural nightcap. Ales, stouts and lagers have been found to stimulate the production of dopamine, a compound that may be prescribed to insomnia sufferers by a doctor, in the brain.
8. Beer can stop cataracts
Too much and your vision will get blurry, but consume just the right amount of beer and your eyes will benefit.
Researchers at the University of Western Ontario found that the antioxidants found in beer, particularly ales and stouts, protected against mitochondrial damage.
9. Beer might cure cancer
Could beer cure cancer? Scientists at the University of Idaho think so.
In January, at the National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, researchers presented findings that suggested a key ingredient in beer could be used in the fight against cancer and inflammatory diseases.
10. Beer helps you lose weight
It may seem a strange one, considering we’ve named the ‘beer belly’ after the weighty effects of alcohol, but researchers at the State University of Oregon seem to think that beer can help you shed some pounds.
The scientists published a study earlier this year showing that a compound called xanthohumol, commonly found in hops, can lower an individual’s chances of developing metabolic syndrome – a condition that indicates obesity, elevated blood pressure, increased blood sugar, and bad high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels.
