6 Surprising Health Benefits of Beer

  6 Health Benefits of Drinking Beer

 

 

There is little that compares to the hopsy, rich and refreshing taste of a cold beer. The world's third most popular beverage has been around for centuries, but has gotten a bad rep as being fattening and high-calorie, and as a result is increasingly avoided at the bar. Yet new studies reveal the surprising health benefits in beer that could make it, once again, your beverage of choice, in moderation of course.  So, pour yourself a cold beer and sip on it while you read about its amazing health benefits!

1. Reduces the Risk of Heart Disease Alcohol in all of its forms, be it beer, wine or liquor, is known to help reduce the risk of heart disease. Studies show that a moderate consumption of alcohol thins the blood, making it less likely to clot. Alcohol also increases the amount of good cholesterol in the blood and lowers blood pressure. 2. Good for Kidney Health Although too much alcohol is noted to be bad for the kidneys, beer has been shown to be an effective reducer of kidney stones. Kidney stones result when there is too much calcium in your system and the hops in beer has been shown to slow the release of calcium from the bones. Also, beer has a high water content that helps clear out the kidneys and keeps them stone free! 3. Believe it or Not, It's Nutritious Beer is packed with tons of nutrients! One 12-ounce beer has about one gram of fiber and it is full of B vitamins like B6, B12, niacin and riboflavin. It is rich is silicon, a nutrient noted for helping to strengthen bones. 4. Reduces the Risk of Diabetes In a 2011 Harvard University study on 38,000 middle-aged men, it was shown that when they drank two beers a day, their risk for Type II diabetes dropped by 25 percent! However, this percentage applies for two beers a day and no more than that. 5. Could Reduce the Risk of Cancer Along with all of the vitamins mentioned above, beer also contains lots of good antioxidants that can cleanse your system of toxin. In addition, a Portuguese study found that marinating meat in beer can eliminate almost 70 percent of the carcinogens, or radioactive substances tied to cancer. Even if you're not drinking beer, it's great to cook with it! 6. Improves Brain Health New research has shown that a few beers a day may be able to ward off Alzheimer's Disease and lower your risk for stroke. This is also due to the blood-thinning nature of the alcohol in beer that prevents the occurrence of clotting. In a 2005, it was found in a test group of 11,000 older women that those who drank at least one beer a day had better mental function than those who didn't, and that by drinking beer they decreased their risk of mental decline by 20 percent.