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Beer Found to be as Healthy as Wine
Matt Clare writes "Researchers at the University of Western Ontario (Canada) recently found that beer has the same positive qualities that wine has previously been found to have. The media release quotes professor John Trevithick, 'We were very surprised one drink of beer or stout contributed an equal amount of antioxidant benefit as wine, especially since red wine contains about 20 times the amount of polyphenols as beer.' For more info on how beer helps police harmful free radicals in blood, The London Free Press also has an article."
GNU/BEER
... when I say
"WOOHOO!!"
You can't expect to wield supreme executive power, just because some watery tart threw a sword at you
And yet, you never hear about a "wine belly."
"I make people like me... WITH VIOLENCE!" - ATHF
To quote from article, ...
But the key is moderation. The researchers found three beers would have the opposite effect.
The study was funded by beermakers Guinness and Labatt. But the university says the financial support had no influence on the outcome.
After the Great Britain Beer Festival, in London, all the brewery presidents decided to go out for a beer.
The guy from Corona sits down and says, "Hey Senor, I would like the world's best beer, a Corona." The bartender dusts off a bottle from the shelf and gives it to him.
The guy from Budweiser says, "I'd like the best beer in the world, give me 'The King Of Beers', a Budweiser." The bartender gives him one.
The guy from Coors says, "I'd like the only beer made with Rocky Mountain spring water, give me a Coors." He gets it.
The guy from Guinness sits down and says, "Give me a Coke." The bartender is a little taken aback, but gives him what he ordered.
The other brewery presidents look over at him and ask "Why aren't you drinking a Guinness?" and the Guinness president replies, "Well, I figured if you guys aren't drinking beer, neither would I."
You probably shouldn't click this.
Smashing your head into a wall while taking steroids is as healthy as professional football!
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We can now rest assured that Homer Simpson will be cancer-free.
Pfft. Mostt of uzsd hav knonnnw bou)t this fofr yeawrs!!@
"All art is quite useless." -- Oscar Wilde
Happy hour here I come!
Seriously though, I've always wanted to start drinking a glass of wine or beer with lunch at work. Think about it long term; it would be a health benefit. One beer isn't going to make anyone loopy, and you'd be at your desk or in the kitchen, so you wouldn't be going outside like smokers, plus you'd only do it once a day unlike smokers.
Hmmm...perhaps I should send this article to our HR department...
CB!@#$%^&*
free ipod and free gmail!
I think the reason wine drinkers are healthier than beer drinkers remains consistent. Wine has fewer calories, so you don't get as fat. As a general rule, wine drinkers have healthier weights than beer drinkers.
Do you trust Labatts with this "science"?
I guess that means I'll live to be 100!!! Excuse me while I crack open another cold one!! WooHoo!
Anyway, the point is when he was recovering, the doctor asked him about his life-style. My grandfather, a wine-drinker, answered a solid "NO" when asked if he drank beer. The doctor recommended that he change that and start drinking a beer per day.
The doctor was under belief a beer per day would keep the prostate cancer from returning, and it (among other things) seems to have worked. My grandfather celebrated his 80th a few years ago and is still going strong.
"Empathise with stupidity, and you're halfway to thinking like an idiot." - Iain M. Banks
It may have as many antioxidants, but it also has a hell of a lot more carbs. If you REALLY want to get a lot of antioxidants, try blueberries instead. All the good stuff, little of the bad.
You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life. --Winston Churchill
And like God, beer can be healthy if you don't over do it.
For more info on how beer helps police harmful free radicals in blood...
It's time to write your representatives, folks!
As Benjamin Franklin said, "Beer is proof that there is a God and that He loves us."
I couldn't agree more.
--Slashdot: News for Turds. Stuff that Splatters.
"To alcohol! The cause of -- and solution to -- all of life's problems."
To-do List: Receive telemarketing call during a tornado warning. Check.
Do we really want beer helping the police to free harmful radicals?
"I'm not impatient. I just hate waiting." - My Dad
Beer has a lot more to offer than just antioxidants, especially when you drink unfiltered homebrew/craft beers. For one, there's a ton of fiber (I've heard 5g/12oz quoted (too lazy to confirm)) which is good considering that most of us dont get near the recommended amount (~25g/day I think). Also, unfiltered beer contains a considerable amount of yeast (no, not just on the bottom, suspended too) which has tons of vitamin B12 (ever seen 'brewers yeast' at the health food store). I've heard also that lack of B12 is one of the main causes of hangovers - to this day, I've never had a (bad) hangover drinking my own beer.
"Moltar, I have a giant brain that is capable of reducing any complex machine into a simple yes or no answer."
So if I've already spent four years averaging six beers/day, I need to stay sober for the next twenty years to benefit?
Man, am I glad I didn't go for that post-graduate degree!
This article should be taken with a grain of salt. First of all, it's about as minor a medical discovery as you could find, in terms of potential impact of the study, where it was published, etc. (makes me wonder if the submitter was an author). There was a massive article on a similar topic in the New England Journal of Medicine last year, which actually studied actual humans and their actual outcomes (link here) that didn't make it onto slashdot, and proved essentially the same thing. This is just talking about a lab proof about antioxidants, which are currently only one theory as to why alcohol is good for you. In other words, this is nice to know, but doesn't prove anything we didn't already know.
Not that YOU personally would do this, but I have seen discussions arguing over "Beer X is better than Beer Y" where both sides clearly need to widen their beer horizons.
So let's get edjumucated. (and seriously, what could be more fun?) Here are two lists of (mostly) great beers that have very wide distribtuions--go out and find something on these lists that you haven't had, and try it tonight!
RateBeer's top 'accessible' beer list.
BeerAdvocate's 'Best Most Available Beers' list.
There are other lists, too, these are just to get you started. You can go to both site's "Top beers" to find a list of even better beers, although many of those could be hard to find.
No, read the article. The supposed mechanism is hormesis. This is the logic whereby you consume small amounts of toxins because there is a health benefit to consuming small amounts of toxins. Thoough it sounds crazy, it is not.
This is also the reason a little radiation or a little arsenic may be good for you.
Researchers at the University of Western Ontario (i.e piss-head students)
;) .. Even so I wish I'd had an idea like this for my final year!
I imagine the research was a real bind
Im thinking of doing some research into proving that an end of night curry or chilli kebab helps prevent a killer hangover. Anyone care to sponsor me ?
Nick...
Electronic Music Made Using Linux http://soundcloud.com/polyp
In the process of trying to lose weight, I've done a lot of reading lately on why low-carb diets work, and most of thee details seem pretty logical and convincing to me. Here in a nutshell, is why I think high-carb beers cannot be healthier than (usually) low-carb wines for people trying to lose weight:
High carb and sugar diets cause the release of Insulin in the body, which is a signal to the body that more than adequate nutrition is available as a result of which, the survival mechanism kicks in and stores any fat consumed thereafter as body fat, with the carbs being used for energy. When carb consumption is lowered, however, Insulin is absent from the bloodstream, and fat is burnt instead for energy.
Hence, from this standpoint, the food pyramid (which suggests low fat instead of low carbs) as well as high carb beers are unhealthier, since they encourage storage of more fat in the body, leading to obesity.
In any case, I'm not a biologist, and I've found this way of eating quite health and effective. Thought I'd chip in with my $0.02.
For those interested in more details, look up Slashdot's earlier coverage of the subject:Hackera on Atkins".
An Indian-American Hindu committed to non-violent thought/speech/action alarmed by the global explosion of radical Islam
When red wine was declared (in moderation) to be healthy, the price went up. A bottle of merlot that used to cost 5 dollars a bottle (when it wasn't good for you) now costs 8 dollars. When it was widely publicized that Oats helped lower cholesterol, the price of everything containing oats went up. Check the cereal isle. Now beer is healthy!!? ARRRRGHHHH!!!
Honestly judge, I wasn't drunk, I was taking a nutritional supplement.
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
Actually, there are several "good" studies--published in reputable journals, with good methodology and solid statistical methods--that show an association between moderate alcohol consumption and appreciably reduced risk of a number of diseases. (Here, moderate is a range from approximately 1 to 3 drinks per day, depending on the study.)
Reduced risks include cardiovascular diseases (heart attack, stroke) and neurological disorders (Alzheimers, other dementias, Parkinson's). There is a correlation with an overall reduced risk of mortality, even after controlling for income and education.
Consumption of alcohol to excess definitely does systemic damage to quite a bit of the body, but there is no evidence that moderate consumption is harmful. Sure, the benefits aren't huge, but for most people there's definitely no reason to describe alcohol as the 'most damaging' food product they can consume*. Only half in jest, I would recommend the Big Mac for that title, or maybe a Krispy Kreme doughnut. Alcohol would definitely be waaaay down the list. Quite right--most reputable physicians and researchers wouldn't recommend taking up drinking solely for health reasons, but no reputable scientist will tell you to drop drinking entirely, either.
*Exceptions include individuals who have a genetic inability to digest alcohol (defects in aldehyde dehydrogenase or another enzyme), or a predisposition towards alcoholism, or a liver or kidney disorder.
~Idarubicin
how beer helps police harmful free radicals in blood, The London Free Press also has an article."
beer, Police, free radicals, blood, London Free Press?
All the standard ingredients for another protest day in London.
Vintage computer adverts: http://www.vintageadbrowser.com/computers-and-software-ads
Free Beer! That's beer that's free as pretzels and open as speech. I'm talking about the Free and Open Source QBrew Homebrew Recipe Calculator.
[Hey, it's shameless self-promotion, but beer related stories don't appear on Slashdot that often]
You don't even need to know how to brew, because it comes with a brewing primer. To be honest, while the software is free as in pretzels, brewing ingredients might set you back twenty bucks for a two case batch, but that twenty buck is worth it. Now go and make some "Beer Found to be as Healthy as Wine".
[Now I'm starting to feel ashamed about this shameless self-promotion, better wrap up quick]
It's even free for Windows and Mac (but is much cooler under a Free and Open system like Linux or BSD). A new release is due within the month, but why wait? Build now and avoid the rush...
Don't blame me, I didn't vote for either of them!
Darl McBride SCO (Scamers, Crooks and Opportunists)
Yahh, hiii haaaaa! -Major Kong, from Dr. Strangelove
White wines generally has fewer calories than red wines, but also has less antioxidant content than reds as well. The exception to the calorie count will be dessert wines, which have so much sugar in them it's pointless compare them to reds anyway. Also, not to put a damper toward white wine drinkers, but almost all 'light' whites are on the bottom of the list. These include Sauvignon Blanc and Rieslings (from almost any region, but veering towards colder regions like Alsace and Germany). Of the whites, the only wines that seem to rank well in antioxidant count(among other whites - none rank well against reds) are alcoholic, tannic chardonnays(from wood barrels) from very sunny regions, like Chile and Australia. I guess the sugar content helps there in the fermentation process.
Red wines with more tannins were generally ranked higher on the antioxidant list. I haven't really checked whether the tannin count is from the barrels they aged in, or the grape skin itself, but the highest ranking 'healthy' red wines listed were from chile and some parts of australia. But there were plenty from france and California as well.
Of the reds, small sized grape varietals seems to have more 'good stuff' in them; Most of the wines up on the list were Cabernet Sauvignon, some Cabernet Franc, and the occasional Shiraz/Syrah. Absent from the list (or I just don't remember seeing any) was primitivo/zinfandel, along with pinot noir. Most of the merlots were on the bottom of the list.
In terms of alcohol content, the 'healthiest' wines had the highest amount of alcohol in them, generally all above 14-15 percent. I'm guessing this is due to the length of time the wines are allowed to stay in the barrels(forgive my lack of winespeak, it's been a while). Also, very very few steel barrel wines ranked high in terms of antioxidant content and 'other stuff.'
I guess that's about it atm. If you want to drink healthy, make sure to aim for heavy, tannic wines made from the small grape varietals that have been aged in wood, which happens to have lots of calories, and lots of alcohol(disclaimer:there is no scientific basis on anything I've just said, this is all based off of my experience). :-) I haven't RTFA as of yet, but I'm curious of the types of beer high up on the list of 'goodness' reflect the wine criteria for 'goodness.' In particular the 'aged, high calorie, alcoholic' portion of it.
One thing about heavy tannic wines: in my experience I've gotten the worst hangovers from them. I'm guessing it's from the tannins themselves, as light reds and whites don't affect me nearly as much.
and not to be a downer on your post, but if I was looking to get a quick hit, my suggestion would be to aim straight for the vodka (not that I'm advocating that or anything). Vodka has some of the highest alcohol/dollar ratio making it super cheap, plus (if you buy good vodka) is has very little impurities so you don't have to worry too much about hangovers. And, it's pretty low on the calorie count compared to wine and beer. The problem with vodka is that because it's so clean, people have a hard time judging whether or not they have had enough.
I used to drink wine very heavily, so I've built quite a tolerance to alchohol. I don't drink as often as I used to, but every once in a while I enjoy having a beer or a glass of wine, and I notice that I get a nice little buzz, even with my heavy tolerance. Man, work must be more stressful than I thought. :-P
...only a healthy diet.
s /9 2_adar_0102.cfm
That goes for everything, be it beer, crisps, hamburgers, apples, lettuce, hell - even water [0]. Get it out of balance, and it's a problem.
Accordingly, some bad qualities != Unhealthy. For example, my natural [1] diet is too low in salt [2]. So, the odd bag of crisps is not a bad thing [3] for me. On the other hand, I know someone whose got high blood pressure - a single bad of can push him towards the danger area - it's a very bad thing for him. Most people, are in the middle.
With that in mind, what does this research actually mean, for the average person? Bugger all. The odd beer won't hurt, and hey, has some good points too. Too much is still bad.
May I reccomend, "Total diet approach to communicating food and nutrition information", J Am Diet Assoc 2002;102:100, available from
http://www.eatright.org/Public/GovernmentAffair
for some further reading.
And, if your looking for antioxidents, eat more raw fruit and veg. Particular foods may have more than others, but, frankly, if you are worried about antioxident intake, then either any will help, or your micromanaging your food intake excessivly. The human body is not a brittle thing - we've lasted this long by being able to live on a range of inputs, so just eat a broad range, and let the body do it's thing.
[0] Although, granted, drinking too much water is damn hard to do without some other contributry factor.
[1] By natural, I mean the diet I would eat if I didn't really think about it - just eat what I want, when I want.
[2] By too low, I mean averages 500mg of salt daily. Reccomended is 1-3g, recommended limit 6g.
[3] Better would be to have it more evenly distributed, prehaps.
That's all I have to say, thanks for coming!
I find your ideas intriguing and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.
The chemical compounds found in red wine are called resveratrol, polyphenols and anthrocyanidins. Resveratrol is described to be "a potent anti-oxidant (about 20-50 times as effectively as vitamin C alone) and act synergistically with vitamin C enhancing the effects of each. Resveratrol has been demonstrated to have an anti-clotting effect that prevents the formation of thrombi or blood clots in the blood vessels."
The article I found goes on to explain why alcohol can cause a hangover and why it is bad for the body: "When alcohol is consumed, the alcohol level in the blood increases and produces the intoxication effect. The body then begins "detoxifying" or metabolizing the alcohol. The first step is the conversion of alcohol to acetaldehyde by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase. This happens fairly quickly in individuals who regularly consume alcohol. The second step is the conversion of acetaldehyde into acetate by the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase. This process is a bit slower and leaves a quantity of acetaldehyde in the system for several hours or longer. It is the acetaldehyde that produces most of the undesirable toxic effects..."
"Acetaldehyde, produced primarily in the liver, but also in other organs to a lesser extent, readily binds to the walls of red blood cells and hitches a ride to all parts of the body including the brain. By attaching itself to the red blood cells, it makes them more rigid and prevents them from entering the smaller capillaries. (The smaller capillaries are much smaller than a red blood cell and the cell is forced to stretch, elongate and squeeze its way through.) This reduces the oxygen supply to most of the cells of the body including the brain. ( The Brain consumes 20% of all the oxygen we breathe). Acetaldehyde also combines with the hemoglobin in the red blood cells further reducing its ability to carry oxygen."
"In addition to inducing hypoxia (oxygen starvation at the cellular level), Acetaldehyde reduces the ability of the protein tubulin to assemble into microtubules. Microtubules provide a structural support for the neurons and dendrites in the brain and actually transport neurochemicals manufactured in the nerve cells to the dendrites, including genetic material. Without the microtubules, the dendrites gradually atrophy and die off..."
And the list goes on and on, so it's not the alcohol that is beneficial, but the anti-oxidant resveratrol found in red wine.
In Ireland, Guinness has long thought to be medicinal. In fact, it was suposedly administered to nursing mothers, blood donors, stomach and intestinal post-operative patients and mothers recovering from childbirth because of this.
No wonder Guinness used the slogan "Guinness is good for you" for many years in their advertising.
However, I do think it's a bit cruel that just down wind of St James' Gate (the Guinness Brewery in Dublin) is an old Hospital where they used to treat alcoholics. You would often get a good wiff of Guinness around that area of Dublin, this must have been torture!
Anyway, I will always love a great pint of Guinness, the fact that it's good for me is just a positive side effect.