Beer is Good for Your Heart – in Moderation
Numerous research studies have concluded drinking moderate amounts of beer each day can be good for your health in more than one way. One of the benefits appears to be a reduction in heart attacks. The most recent study, done by the IRCCS Mediterranean Neurological Institute and published in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, found that drinking about 330 ml of beer daily reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke by about twenty five percent.
The study was actually a review of 150 other studies on the possible beneficial effects of alcohol on health. The latest study reveals that, on average, all of the other studies demonstrated that consuming about a pint and a half of beer a day is strongly associated with a significant reduction in heart disease and stroke. It also found this benefit came without raising the odds for cancer or dementia.
Other research into the nutritional value of beer has found the beverage to have significant amounts of important minerals including iodine, magnesium, potassium, and phosphorus. These studies also concluded the type of sugar in beer is less likely to cause obesity or type 2 diabetes than the type of sugar in many other processed foods and beverages. Obesity and diabetes are also risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
Researchers from the latest study were quick to add that the benefits of beer drinking only hold true when it is consumed in moderation. Drinking too much of any kind of alcohol is definitely associated with poor health outcomes.
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