Lifestyle
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Drinking of beer has its advantages and disadvantages even though a moderate intake is good for the body
| By Chinwe Okafor | Apr. 28, 2014 @ 01:00 GMT
ACCORDING to the Bible, a little wine is good for the body. But researchers have also proven that a little beer may be even better for the body too. Despite people’s reservation about drinking beer, it actually has a number of natural antioxidants and vitamins that can help prevent heart diseases and even rebuild muscles. It also has one of the highest energy contents of any food or drink. Some researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health found out that moderate amount of alcohol, including beer, helps to prevent blood clots that block blood flow to the heart, neck and brain.
A 2011 Harvard study of about 38,000 middle-aged men revealed that those who drank occasionally raised their alcohol intake to one to two beers or other drinks daily, thereby reducing their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by 25 percent. Also, in a 2005 review of some studies, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that moderate drinkers live longer and that moderate drinking prevented about 26,000 deaths a year, due to lower rates of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
Beer helps to reduce the risk of cancer, boosts vitamin level because it contains vitamin B12 and folic acid. It also helps to guard against stroke. Beers have antioxidants, which helps to reverse cellular damages that occur naturally in the body. According to a recent study published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, dark beers have higher iron content compared to lighter beers.
But despite these healthy aspects of consuming beer, it also has some harmful effects to the body when it’s consumed in excess. Kazeem Adebare, an Osogbo-based medical practitioner, has warned that hypertensive patients who consumed beer risk liver damage and heart disease. He said that beer contained alcohol and heavy drinking could raise blood pressure. He explained that high blood pressure was one of the leading causes of kidney failure. He advised that hypertensive patients who reduced alcohol consumption were indirectly lowering their blood pressure to enable them live long.
Similarly, Beatrice Olayemi, another medical practitioner, said that anybody who had high blood pressure should stop taking beer or risk death and that the long held belief that consumption of alcohol had certain health benefits should no longer be encouraged.
Also, according to the Carlsberg group, when beer is consumed in excess quantity, the alcohol is absorbed directly into the blood stream through the stomach and the small intestines and circulates to all parts of the body quickly through the blood stream. When it reaches the brain it affects the person’s behaviour and can make the person lively and chatty or silent and moody.
Tags: 2011 Harvard study alcohol Beatrice Olayemi beer Bible Carlsberg group folic acid Harvard School of Public Health Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture Kazeem Adebare Osogbo U.S. Department of Agriculture vitamin B12
