However, you may be surprised to learn that an apple a day is not the only thing to keep the doctor away. New studies show that drinking just one beer daily can be highly beneficial for your overall health. In fact, there are many beer health benefits that are finally coming to light.
Beer contains significant amounts of magnesium, selenium, potassium, phosphorus, and biotin. Plus, it has a bounty of beneficial B vitamins that help with energy, nerve regeneration, sleep, and mood. Beer also contains a fair amount of protein. In fact, a new beer launched this year contains as much protein as a steak (1)!
A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showed that beer contains prenylated flavonoids, which are an even better source of antioxidants than red wine, green tea, and soy.
These antioxidants protect your body from the damaging effects of oxygen and nitrogen and can help prevent high cholesterol, heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease just to name a few serious health issues caused by free-radical damage (2).
10 Unexpected Beer Health Benefits
Here are 10 good reasons why you should drink a beer every day!
1. Prevents Atherosclerosis
Beer can boost your levels of good, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol while lowering your insulin levels, thus reducing your risk of developing atherosclerosis (hardening of your arteries). In fact, darker ales and stouts that have more antioxidants than lighter lager beers may reduce the incidence of atherosclerosis as well as cataracts by as much as 50 percent (3).
2. Prevents Diabetes
Studies show that drinking a beer a day can reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes by as much as 30 percent (4).
3. Prevents Cancer
A specific flavonoid in hops, Xanthohumol, plays a significant role in preventing cancer, including prostate cancer (5). Other chemopreventive agents in beer are polyphenols (also found in red wine) that studies show are effective for fighting cancer.
4. Lowers Cholesterol
Drinking one beer a day can increase HDL cholesterol levels by up to 11 percent. As well, some studies show that the high fiber content in beer can lower LDL (bad) levels by up to 18 percent (6).
5. Prevents Blood Clots
Studies show that drinking a beer a day for one month can reduce the levels of fibrinogen (clotting agent) in your blood. Beer also changes the structure of fibrinogen so that it is less capable of clotting, according to some studies (7).
6. Prevents Kidney Stones
A study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology found that people who drink a beer a day have a 41 percent less risk of developing kidney stones (8).
7. Strengthens Bones
Beer contains a significant source of dietary silicon, a key ingredient for increasing bone mineral density. According to a study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, drinking a daily beer, especially pale ale, can strengthen your bones and prevent them from becoming too brittle, a key cause of osteoporosis (9).
8. Helps You Sleep
Beer is full of beneficial B vitamins (B1, B2, B6, and B12) that help you relax and sleep better. One study shows that beer drinkers have 30 percent more vitamin B6 than non-drinkers, and their levels are twice as high as those of wine drinkers. Beer also has significant levels of lactoflavin and nicotinic acid, which helps you fall asleep (10).
9. Prevents Alzheimer’s
Studies show that beer boosts your memory and that beer drinkers are less likely to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia than non-beer drinkers (11).
10. Promotes Healthy Skin
The many vitamins, nutrients, and minerals such as silica in beer make your skin healthy, youthful and smooth. It is also wonderful for reducing acne and increasing your skin’s natural shine and tone.
More On Beer
In general, beer has superior anticancer properties, reduces your risk of cardiovascular diseases, increases your bone density, prevents dementia and coronary disease, and it has excellent anti-aging properties.
And if you are stressed, a daily beer can help calm your nerves and provide them with all of the vitamins and nutrients they need to function properly. Plus, as a diuretic, beer is also helpful for removing wastes and toxins.
Everything In Moderation
While drinking one beer a day is healthy, when you start to drink more you run the risk of liver and heart disease, sleep disorders, depression, stroke, stomach ulcers, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) from unsafe sex, and even cancer. Excessive drinking is also linked to diabetes, high blood pressure, and other serious health conditions, so make sure you know your limits (12).
source : dailyhealthpost.com
