Scientists have proven with research why it is a good idea to switch your sugary soda with beer now. From helping to lose weight to making heart healthy, to preventing cancer to protecting from cognitive diseases, the health benefits of beer are innumerable. So the next time someone stops you from consuming alcohol, you need to show them the scientific research and can guzzle down your beer without any guilt.
#1 Strong bones
We all have heard growing up that to make bones stronger, drink milk. Well, what if we tell you to guzzle down beer to make your bones stronger.
A report from the International Journal of Endocrinology, suggests that moderate consumption of alcohol leads to increase bone density in men. However, this is only if the alcohol is red wine or beer and not hard liquor. This basically means that the compounds that increase bone density are found only in red wine and beer. So it is not the alcohol that makes bones stronger but the ingredients.
Researchers also found that the silicon in beer moderately affects the formation of bone.
#2 Anti-inflammatory properties
One of the most important ingredients of beer is hops. These give the beer a significantly unique flavor. They give your IPA its floral, subtly bitter flavor. But, hops have been used in folk medicine as sedatives and as anti-bacterial functions for thousands of years.
One recent study proves that hops also have anti-inflammatory properties. Thus, the consumption of beer helps in stopping inflammation. So, next time, instead of taking an anti-inflammatory, just grab a beer or two.
#3 Prevent cancer
Beer is not only tasty and refreshing but can also help prevent cancer. Repeatedly, the bitter acids that are found in hops reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer.
Xanthohumol, a compound found in hops, is known to block the chemical reaction that can lead to prostate cancer as well as other cancers. One study, from the German Cancer Research Centre, found that compounds also reduced the risk of breast cancer in women.
#4 Healthy heart
Research shows that guzzling beer has the same healthy heart benefits that a glass of wine offers. Italy’s Fondazione di Ricerca e Cura found that moderate beer drinking lowered drinkers’ potential for heart disease by 31%.
This is exactly the same amount as what we have heard about red wine for years. They also found that drinkers only need to imbibe just over one beer containing about 5% ABV per day. The only problem is that if you drink too much, the advantage diminishes.
So the good news is that instead of eating an apple a day, you can take a beer a day to keep the doctor away.
#5 Avoid kidney stones
Research says that 2 out of 10 men will have a kidney stone at one point in life. A recent study in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology says that drinking beer can greatly diminish your chances of being one of the two.
The study found that those men who drank sugary soda were more likely to get kidney stones than those who didn't drink soda.
People who drank beer or wine had between 33-41% less chance of forming kidney stones than people who avoided alcohol. A reminder, next time you want to indulge in a soda, it is better to switch to a can of beer.
#6
Studies suggest that the healthy way of drinking beer is to take it after dinner instead of before or during might actually be the way to go.
A study in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, beer consumption is linked to gastric acid production. This study compared the effects of drinking various types of beer on gastric acid secretions. They found that beer is full of ingredients with digestive properties including the stimulation of gastric acid, pancreatic enzymes and various other mechanisms.
#7 Protect from Alzheimer's and dementia
A recent study at Loyola University in Chicago found that moderate beer drinkers have a 23% less chance to develop Alzheimer’s and dementia than those who don’t drink beer.
The researcher found that the silicon in the beer shields the brain from the compound that eventually l ea to these neurodegenerative diseases. Also, the cholesterol in beer is believed to reduce the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s. Drink more beer, your brain will thank you later in life.
#8 Help in weight loss
Researchers have discovered a molecule in beer that can help stop weight gain. The molecule, nicotinamide riboside, is being referred to as the “miracle molecule” and it might be the key to preventing obesity and diabetes.
A recent study published in the Journal of Cell Metabolism, proved the mice that were fed nicotinamide riboside over ten weeks, had higher amounts of energy and endurance than mice who didn’t get the molecule.
