Amazing Health News about Beer: Yes, it Can be Healthy!

It's been a while since I posted (classes starting, syllabi need prepping, etc.), but I thought that while I've got my nose to the grindstone, I can take a couple of minutes out to post my favorite news. What else but about BEER!

• Beer increases longevity. Drinking one beer per day is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. In addition, "other studies have found that women who consume one beer each day have improved mental health. Drinking beer and other alcoholic beverages in moderation may also improve bone density." Unfortunately, drinking more beer doesn't mean more health, so drinking three (or six!) beers a day doesn't promote the beneficial effects. Bummer.
• Beer is better than water for rehydrating after a workout. Yes, it's true! Get rid of that Gatorade and reach for the Guinness! According to MadeMan blog, researchers at Granada University in Spain conducted a study testing water against Spanish lager. The beer drinkers recovered better than those only given water. It is thought that the carbohydrates in beer may replace calories, and the carbon dioxide quenches thirst more quickly. Woo hoo! I'll make sure my next marathon training run ends at my local bar.
• Drinking beer may be more healthful than wine, the alcoholic drink with the best reputation for heart-healthy properties. "Beer contains vitamin B6, which prevents the build-up of amino acid called homocysteine that has been linked to heart disease. Those of us who have high levels of homocysteine are usually more prone to an early onset of heart and vascular disease. A new study performed at the TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute in Utrecht indicates that those who drink beer had no increase in their homocysteine level but those who drank wine or liquor had an increase of up to 10%. Also noted was the fact that those who drank beer experienced a 30% increase in vitamin B6 in their blood plasma, thereby proving that beer (in moderation) is actually healthier to drink than wine and other liquor." So there.
• According to (who else) the Beer Academy, beer is "one of the healthiest alcoholic drinks available." According to a report commissioned by the Academy, beer "is a rich source of vitamins, fibre, minerals and antioxidants and has a relatively low calorific value compared with many other alcoholic beverages."
  

There you go. Perhaps one day they'll discover that beer cures cancer. Until then,  I'll continue my worship at the throne of the gods of barley and hops.