7 Healthy Reasons to Drink Beer
Here’s an excuse to throw back a cold one RIGHT NOW
Think of all the reasons to enjoy a beer. There’s the obvious: After a hard day, it tastes like the liquid equivalent of a high-five.
Related: The Best Summer Beers For Men
And the less proven: It functions as a performance enhancing drug for previously untested dance moves.
But those aren’t the only justifications to knock back a cold one. Here are seven ways beer can keep you healthy.
Beer can help reduce your risk of heart disease.
According to Harvard University, more than 100 studies found an association between moderate drinking and a 25 to 40 percent reduced risk of heart attack or death from cardiovascular disease.
Related: The Best Fall Beers
Beer can lower your risk of Type 2 Diabetes.
In a meta-analysis of 15 studies on moderate alcohol consumption and Type 2 Diabetes risk, the American Diabetes Association found a 30 percent reduced risk of type 2 diabetes when people drank 6 to 48 grams per day compared to those that drank more or less.
It’s important to note that a standard 12-ounce beer contains about 14 grams of alcohol—so drink responsibly if you want these health benefits.
Beer can increase your bone density.
Studies have found that beers—particularly darker, hoppier ales—have a high amount of silicon, which contributes to bone and connective-tissue health.
The Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture reports that this suggests a moderate intake helps fight osteoporosis.
Beer can prevent dementia.
Drinking in moderation can actually help you stay at the top of your mental game.
Researchers at Lanzhou University recently found that a compound found in beer hops, xanthohumol, can guard against oxidative stress and might fight the onset of dementia or cognitive decline.
Related: 10 Great Ways to Use Leftover Beer
Beer can reduce your cholesterol.
A study recently found that moderate beer consumption can increase HDL, or healthy cholesterol.
The American Heart Association recommends you don’t get carried away, though, and recommends no more than one to two drinks a day for men.
Beer can prevent kidney stones.
A toast to never finding out how miserable it feels to pass a kidney stone!
One study found that beer intake has an inverse relationship with this painful ailment, with each bottle consumed per day estimated to reduce your risk for it by 40 percent.
Beer might be able to fight cancer.
Researchers in Germany discovered that the xanthohumol in beer hops—the same stuff that helps prevent dementia—can block excessive testosterone and thus reduce the chance of prostate cancer in men.
They’re further studying xanthohumol for potential use as a cancer-fighting drug, but in the meantime you can get your dose from a nice IPA.
The article 9 Healthy Reasons to Drink Beer originally ran on Bicycling.com.
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