Health benefits of beer revealed: research results

According to research published in the journal Nutrients, obese patients who consume beer in moderation can reduce cardiovascular risk factors and affect the protection of blood vessels.

According to Dr. Gemma Vilahur of the Catalan Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences (Barcelona), moderate beer consumption has a positive effect on "bad" cholesterol, as it reduces its level and significantly increases the amount of "good" cholesterol, saludycardiologia.com reports.

The study provides evidence that drinking non-alcoholic or traditional beer in moderation during the study period (8 weeks) did not change or caused minimal changes in the range of clinical normal liver and kidney function.

Method used

To obtain the above results, participants were divided into two groups and asked to drink traditional beer for 1 month. After that, they drank non-alcoholic beer.

The results were surprising, as people consumed beer at different times, and no abnormalities in blood pressure and heart rate were observed. This is in comparison to what happens when a person consumes other alcoholic beverages in excess.

Results

Another important discovery is that after the experiment, the participants' body weight and the risk of systemic inflammation did not increase, and the endothelial function of the vessels did not change either. This led to the conclusion that daily but moderate beer consumption during the study did not cause significant changes in liver or kidney function.

In addition, it also did not affect body weight, plasma glucose levels, or blood pressure patterns, despite being overweight or grade 1 obese (BMI 30 to 35).

Recommended consumption

Researchers note that cardioprotective effects are evident only with moderate beer consumption, namely

• Women: no more than 20 grams of alcohol from 2-3 beers.
• Men: no more than 30 grams.