What You Don’t Know About Beer
27 Nov 2007
Have you ever wondered what you’re drinking while enjoying a bottle of beer? I doubt that many beer drinkers ever give it a second’s thought. But beer isn’t just beer. I’ve written for years in my medical column that beer and other alcoholic drinks are often unjustly criticized. I agree that alcohol in excess causes problems, but so does excess in anything. But used in moderation beer provides several benefits. So the next time you pour yourself a bottle of beer consider these nutritional facts.
One: Beer isn’t just alcohol. It’s 93 per cent water.
Two: Beer contains no sugars. Today, excessive calories of any kind, are causing an epidemic of obesity resulting in needless disease and stress on our health care system. And it’s the hidden sugar in many packaged foods and non-alcoholic beverages that is a major factor in obesity. The fact that beer contains no sugar is a huge nutritional benefit to people and our society.
Three: Beer contains no fat, cholesterol or triglycerides, a big plus considering that heart disease is the number one killer in this country.
Four: Beer contains only 25 milligrams of sodium. Compare this amount to the 900 milligrams in an average can of soup, 1,100 mg in a quarter-pound hamburger with cheese, 1,420 mg in a chicken pot pie and 3,270 mg in a Rueben sandwich. In addition, most packaged foods are loaded with salt. Unfortunately, most people are unaware of the huge amount of salt they’re ingesting. And several studies show that the more salt ingested the greater the risk of developing hypertension, a major killer. The result? One out every two Canadians over the age of 65 suffers from hypertension. All we need is 1,500 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day, but most people consume 4,000 mg. Don’t forget, it’s the salted peanuts and pretzels loaded with salt that you consume with beer that are the real culprits.
FourBeer contains several important minerals. 36 milligrams of magnesium for instance. This mineral helps to regulate the heart’s beat and relax coronary arteries. There’s also 90 milligrams of potassium to fight high blood pressure, a small amount of calcium for bones and 108 milligrams of phosphorus.
Five: Beer contains a number of essential vitamins such as folic acid, niacin, pantothenic acid (B3), riboflavin (B2), and pyridoxine (B6).
Six: Beer helps to lubricate the blood decreasing the risk of heart attack. Alcohol oils the circulation in several ways. It increases the blood level of high density lipoproteins (HDL) , the good cholesterol. This helps to clear the arteries of excess cholesterol. The alcohol content of beer also decreases the level of fibrinogen, small particles that are part of the blood clotting mechanism. The less fibrinogen the less chance of heart attack. And finally beer greases blood platelets making them less likely to stick together to form a fatal blood clot.
Seven: Let’s not forget the relaxing effect of beer on both the mind and blood vessels.
Eight: Compared to the junk food we eat that is loaded with salt, sugar and calories a bottle of beer can be part of a healthy diet.
Nine: I stress over and over in the column that Aristotle was right when generations ago he praised the virtues of moderation. Today the best way to save our health care system is for everyone to act moderately in drinking and eating. This, along with exercising, will help to fight obesity which triggers diabetes, heart attack, hypertension and is believed to be associated with several types of cancer.
Ten: I recently wrote a column that there should be a pub in every Canadian hospital. I wasn’t joking. I’m convinced that allowing patients who normally enjoy a drink at home to have an alcoholic beverage in hospital would help their recovery. For years I prescribed this option to my own patients who wanted it two days after surgery. Remember everything in moderation, including moderation. So enjoy your beer.
