Eating an organic banana rather than one of those regular old pesticide-ridden bananas carries with it the conscious act of making a responsible health choice. And that goes for pretty much any food carrying the USDA Certified Organic seal of approval.
But, is beer healthy? The simple answer: Yes.
Now hold on. Don’t go rushing to do a keg stand just yet. The health benefits of beer assume moderation in drinking (up to two drinks a day for guys, one for girls). Binge drinking will just leave you fat and with a better chance of cancer, liver failure and stroke. To learn more about the overindulgence of libations, visit the website of the Health Promotion Agency of Northern Ireland.
First off, the information below pertains to your average beer, say Budweiser.
Just like wine, beer has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease. On August 13, 2002, the Wall Street Journal published an article extolling the healthy virtues of beer.
After more than 20 years of research and scores of studies on the effects of moderate alcohol consumption on health, beer is slowly bubbling to the top as a beverage that not only lifts spirits but delivers protection against major ailments such as heart attacks, stroke, hypertension, diabetes and dementia.
The article cited the work of Norman D. Kaplan, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, who conducted studies on “alcohol’s impact on health.”
Kaplan rolled the red carpet out for beer’s healthy perks. Here’s a bullet point list of beer’s best benefits:
- Significantly lowers risk of coronary-artery disease in men
- Lowers hypertension in women
- Helps increase bone density
- Rich in B-vitamins and folates (stuff found in green leafy veggies)
- Could raise “good cholesterol,” helping to prevent coronary-heart disease and dementia
All that sounds great, right? And that’s just by drinking a Bud or two a night.
Darker beers, such as Guiness, kick the health-o-meter even one notch further by containing more antioxidants than lighter beers.
But there’s still one question on tap: Is organic beer healthier than regular beer?