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Toast your country—and health—with a nice, cold pint this July 4th
Celebrate our independence this 4th of July with a healthy pint of beer. Yes, you read it right: we said “healthy” and “beer” in the same sentence.
Thomas Jefferson himself stated, “Beer, if drunk with moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit and promotes health.” So there you have it. What better way to salute one of our Founding Fathers than taking his wise words to heart?
If you’re still skeptically thinking, “I thought wine was the healthy form of alcohol,” you’re not giving brews enough credit. Moderate beer intake — one to two 12-oz. glasses per day for men and one for women — can be just as beneficial to your health. The past decade has produced substantial research on the health value of beer, and there appears to be no reason to turn down a brewski in favor of a glass of vino.
- Nutrition. Beer contains folic acid, vitamins, iron, niacin, silicon, fiber, riboflavin and antioxidants, which help keep us strong and healthy. Beer even has one up on wine when it comes to B vitamins and folates, since they originate from the hops, barley and other ingredients not present in wine.
- Bone health. Phytoestrogens, the hops used in the production of beer, help prevent bone loss, and research has shown that beer also may help rebuild bone mass in men and young women.
- Mental health. Anyone who has ever breathed a sigh of relief and contentment after taking a sip of beer at the end of a stressful day will tell you that moderate consumption can have some psychological benefits — just as having the occasional pint among friends can contribute to people’s satisfaction with their social lives.
- Cardiovascular health. In a 2006 study by the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Harvard School of Public Health, heart-healthy men who consumed moderate amounts of alcohol were 40% to 60% less likely to suffer from a heart attack compared with heart-healthy men who did not drink. The same researchers also found a correlation between men with high blood pressure who drink moderately and a lower risk of heart attacks.
- Blood clot prevention. Moderate drinking also may play a role in preventing blood clots, which can cause strokes.
- Diabetes. Moderate drinking may help prevent Type 2 diabetes in men and women, according to research cited by Forbes.
- Longevity. A study from the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research found that moderate drinkers have been found to have lower mortality rates than both heavy drinkers and abstainers. That’s right; drinking a little bit appears to increase your life span more than not drinking at all!
So when you’re sitting back and enjoying Monday night’s fireworks, make Tom proud. Grab an ale, lager or whatever you prefer, and have a drink to your country, your freedom and your health.
Tags: beer, nutrition facts
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Wow, I am always getting on my husband’s case about drinking beer, I find your facts true in many cases, my husband is always cheerful, I mistaked it for being intoxicated.
I think it is absurd to have an article about the ‘health value’ of drinking. I think all of the references to the ‘healthy’ consequences of drinking in your article mention moderate drinking. Considering that many people can have dangerous consequences from drinking it seems appropriate to outline to your readers what moderate drinking is (i.e. 1 drink per day for women and 2 drinks per day for men; a drink being 12 oz beer). And including the statement ‘if you don’t currently drink there is no reason to start’ is responsible as well.
MH, thank you for you comment. If you look back over the article, in the third paragraph, we do actually state what amounts are considered “moderate drinking”: “Moderate beer intake — one to two 12-oz. glasses per day for men and one for women — can be just as beneficial to your health.”
And of course, we are not trying to imply that people should start drinking if they currently do not or are not comfortable with the activity. We are simply saying that a couple of beers to celebrate the holiday weekend can have certain health benefits, as shown by medical research. Thanks for reading and for taking the time to comment!
When I was a kid dad would come home from work tell us kids hello kiss mom and open a can of beer which we would all share, yes even us 2 kids. My brother and me would get a sip Mom and dad would split the rest and we’d all get a piece of cheese. It was a family occasion. No one in the family ever turned out to be a drunk and I still look back to those days with fondness over 50 years later.
Let’s see on July 6 how many lives were damaged, ruined or ended as a result of a brewski or two. Alcohol is the worst drug ever discovered by mankind.