Drink beer to your health - part 2 - lifestyle factors

More than just a pint of beer 

You might ask, isn't it true that many studies have found that wine drinkers are healthier than beer drinkers? Yes, but it might not be the wine...
 

Recent finding: Researchers in Denmark analyzed more than 3.5 million checkout receipts from 98 outlets of two large supermarket chains. They found that wine buyers bought more fruits, vegetables, olives, poultry, milk and low-fat cheese, on average, than beer buyers. On the other hand, beer buyers bought more chips, soft drinks, cold cuts, sausages and sugar. Other studies show that, compared with beer drinkers, wine drinkers, on average, consume less saturated fat, exercise more and smoke less.
     New thinking:  It might not be the wine but wine drinkers' overall lifestyle that accounts for their better health.
     There is no reason why you can't drink moderate amounts of beer as part of a healthy lifestyle.

BENEFITS OF BEER
In fact, beer may be a healthier choice than wine because beer has...

• B vitamins, particularly folate, which may help protect against heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer's disease and various cancers.
• Silicon.    Beer is one of the richest dietary sources of silicon, a mineral that helps counter the bone-eroding disease osteoporosis.
• Effective antioxidants. Red wine has more antioxidants than beer in the test tube—but studies show that antioxidants in beer may be more effective in raising blood levels of antioxidants. In fact, drinking beer is better than eating a tomato when it comes to raising blood level’s of ferulic acid, a potent antioxidant that scientists say may help fight heart disease, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's.
• Fiber. Beer contains healthful levels of soluble fiber.
• "Beer belly" myth:       Studies show that moderate drinking does not contribute to a beer belly—it is the calories in alcohol that are fattening, not any particular component of beer, such as the carbohydrate maltose.    In fact, many wines contain more carbohydrates and more calories than beer per serving.

Next: Drink beer to your health – part 3.  Moderation is key.

Also see:

Drink beer to your health – part 1 - beer and hard liquor as beneficial as wine

Charles Bamforth, PhD., Professor of Brewing Science at the University of California, Davis was recently interviewed by Bottom Line Personal  .  His article appeared in the October 15 issue.  It is reprinted here in parts with permission from Professor Bamforth.