Health Benefits of Beer

A friend of mine from Ireland told me that when he donated blood in Dublin, they actually gave him a glass of Guiness stout afterwards. It turns out that Guiness has a high level of iron. Nice excuse to go have a pint o'Guiness, right?

"Beer has similar health benefits to wine. It helps to promote blood vessel dilation, sleep, and urination (no kidding). It contains a similar amount of 'polyphenols' (antioxidants) to red wine and four to five times as many polyphenols as white wine.^"1

"For men, up to two beers a day will lower chances of stroke, heart and vascular disease. For women, although older studies show that one glass of alcohol per day is beneficial, a more liver-friendly choice is one drink every other day. Stroke is the leading cause of serious, long-term disabilities and the third leading cause of death in the U.S.^"2

"Many nutrients and vitamins in beer survive the fermentation and filtering process. Beer contains fair amounts of Vitamin B, B2 and B6. B6 prevents the build-up of homocysteine, an amino acid that has been linked to heart disease. It also contains good amounts of silicon, magnesium, selenium, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, and trace elements."³ Unfiltered beer (like Magic Hat Circus) has been to shown to have even higher amounts of nutrients.

Beer contains hops. "Clinical use of the alcoholic hop extracts in different dosage forms has also been used by doctors in the People's Republic of China in treating different forms of diseases such as leprosy, as well as problems like pulmonary tuberculosis and acute bacterial dysentery with varying results. The presence of a couple of anti-bacterial bitter acids, called lupulon and humulon in the herb are known to kill certain strains of Gram positive and acid-fast bacteria, like the staphylococcus strain. The infections from staphylococcus is evident in cases of suppurating wounds, runny sores, abscesses, and some types of boils as well as osteomyelitis - which is the presence of inflammation in the bone marrow of people.^"4

"Beer can also contribute to slowing the aging process, reducing kidney stones, boosting memory, preventing prostate cancer, providing protection from radiation and more."⁵

^{Sources:
1, 2, 3, 5 http://www.steadyhealth.com/articles/Health_Benefits_Of_Beer_a804_f0.html
3, 4 http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_hops.htm}