IS BEER REALLY HEALTHY?

Please consider that all statements about the positive effects of beer are always based on the assumption that it is consumed in moderation.
    The phenolic substances  originating mostly from the malt intercept free radicals in the body, which may be carcinogenic: this is the reason why beer has the same positive effect as red wine.
    Because of the fact that the beer is rich in potassium and low in sodium, it has a diuretic effect. Also, because beer is low in calcium and rich in magnesium, it is prophylactic against heart diseases and formation of gallstones and kidney stones.
    The fruit acids of the beer make digestion easy. L-lactate, which is a lactic acid in the beer, has a beneficial effect on intestinal flora.
    Carbon dioxide in the beer promotes salivation, stimulates formation of  hydrchloric acid in the stomach and help separation of waste matters that are usually eliminated in the urine.
    Polyphenols in beer are effective against cardiovascular diseases and cancer.
 
One happy beer lover
     Summarizing the positive effects, which do go beyond the above list, we can say that research to-date into the effect of alcohol on the human organism has investigated only the negative effects of abuse and ignored the beneficial consequences of moderate consumption. Professor Dr. Hans Hoffmeister of Free University of Berlin and Director of the Robert-Koch-Institute in Berlin, explained that moderate consumption of alcohol (1 to 40 grams per day which corresponds to 0.1 to 1 liter of beer) is obviously beneficial to health, compared to abstinent or largely abstinent life styles.
    Professor Dr. Joseph Keul of the Department of Rehabilitative and Preventive Sports Medicine, University Clinic of Freiburg, Germany wrote, that "moderate beer drinkers have a lower blood pressure than teetotallers and heavy drinkers".
    He also made a note that "...antioxidants [present in beer], high levels of which are also present in red wine (a lower incidence of heart disease in France), do not only have a protective effect on the vascular bed but also reduce the risk of cancer and raise endogenous resistance".
Bavarian Brewery Technologies - Tel.: (310) 391-1091 - Fax: (310) 391-4530