1. Stronger Bones
Beer contains high levels of silicon, which
is linked to bone health. In a 2009 study
at Tufts University and other centers,
older men and women who swigged one
or two drinks daily had higher bone
density, with the greatest benefits found
in those who favored beer or wine.
However, downing more than two drinks
was linked to increased risk for fractures.
For the best bone-building benefits, reach
for pale ale, since a 2010 study of 100
types of beer from around the word
identified these brews as richest in silicon,
while light lagers and non-alcoholic beers
contained the least.
2. A Stronger Heart
A 2011 analysis of 16 earlier studies
involving more than 200,000 people,
conducted by researchers at Italy’s
Fondazion di Ricerca e Cura, found a 31
percent reduced risk of heart disease in
those who quaffed about a pint of beer
daily, while risk surged in those who
guzzled higher amounts of alcohol,
whether beer, wine, or spirits.
More than 100 studies also show that
moderate drinking trims risk of heart
attacks and dying from cardiovascular
disease by 25 to 40 percent, Harvard
reports. A beer or two a day can help
raise levels of HDL, the “good” cholesterol
that helps keep arteries from getting
clogged.
3. Healthier Kidneys
A study in Finland singled out beer among
other alcoholic drinks, finding that each
bottle of beer men drank daily lowered
their risk of developing kidney stones by
40 percent. One theory is that beer’s high
water content helped keep kidneys
working, since dehydration increases
kidney stone risk.
It’s also possible that the hops in beer
help curb leeching of calcium from bones;
that “lost” calcium also could end up in
the kidneys as stones.
4. Boosting Brain Health
A beer a day may help keep Alzheimer’s
disease and other dementia at bay,
researchers say.
A 2005 study tracking the health of
11,000 older women showed that
moderate drinkers (those who consumed
about one drink a day) lowered their risk
of mental decline by as much as 20
percent, compared to non-drinkers. In
addition, older women who downed a
drink a day scored as about 18 months
“younger,” on average, on tests of mental
skills than the non-drinkers.
5. Reduced Cancer Risk
A Portuguese study found that marinating
steak in beer eliminates almost 70 percent
of the carcinogens, called heterocyclic
amines (HCAs) produced when the meat
is pan-fried. Researchers theorize that
beer’s sugars help block HCAs from
forming.
Scientists also have found that beer and
wine contain about the same levels of
antioxidants, but the antioxidants are
different because the flavonoids found in
hops and grapes are different.
6. Boosting Vitamin Levels
A Dutch study, performed at the TNO
Nutrition and Food Research Institute,
found that beer-drinking participants had
30 percent higher levels of vitamin B6
levels in their blood than their non-
drinking counterparts, and twice as much
as wine drinkers. Beer also contains
vitamin B12 and folic acid.
7. Guarding Against Stroke
Researchers at the Harvard School of
Public Health found that moderate
amounts of alcohol, including beer, help
prevent blood clots that block blood flow
to the heart, neck and brain—the clots
that cause ischemic stroke, the most
common type.
8. Reduced Risk for Diabetes
Drink up: A 2011 Harvard study of about
38,000 middle-aged men found that
when those who only drank occasionally
raised their alcohol intake to one to two
beers or other drinks daily, their risk of
developing type 2 diabetes dropped by 25
percent. The researchers found no benefit
to quaffing more than two drinks. The
researchers found that alcohol increases
insulin sensitivity, thus helping protect
against diabetes.
9. Lower Blood Pressure
Wine is fine for your heart, but beer may
be even better: A Harvard study of 70,000
women ages 25 to 40 found that
moderate beer drinkers were less likely to
develop high blood pressure—a major
risk factor for heart attack—than women
who sipped wine or spirits.
10. Longer Life
In a 2005 review of 50 studies, the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA)
reported that moderate drinkers live
longer. The USDA also estimates that
moderate drinking prevents about 26,000
deaths a year, due to lower rates of heart
disease, stroke, and diabetes.
These benefits appear to apply in other
countries as well, with an earlier study
reporting that, “if European beer drinkers
stopped imbibing, there would be a
decrease in life expectancy of two years—
and much unhappiness.”
