Beer - Is It A Useful Or Harmful Drink?

Beer is one of the most consumed alcoholic beverages in the world, so it is appropriate to ask what physiological effects it has on the body.

After alcoholic beverages, traditional light beer contains the largest amounts of hops and essential oil from it, and the most interesting ingredients from a pharmacological point of view are humulonic, lupulonic acids and prenylnaringenin. The first two groups of substances have well-studied sedative properties. Beer is known to have a pronounced sedative (calming) effect, which is much stronger than the equivalent amount of ethanol taken in the form of other alcoholic beverages.

Prenylnaringenin must be said to be one of the strongest phytoestrogens known in medicine. Its strength is close to that of estradiol, which, incidentally, makes beer a very suitable drink for menopausal women.

Beer also contains significant amounts of yeast, which is not accidentally called brewery ... Brewer's yeast contains yeast that carry out the fermentation process - they break down maltose to glucose, which is further broken down into ethyl alcohol. In the course of their life processes, in addition to ethyl alcohol, these yeasts also synthesize large amounts of B vitamins. They also require large amounts of minerals such as selenium, magnesium, phosphorus, etc., which means, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, that beer is actually a good source of B minerals and vitamins.

According to a number of studies, in the process of filtering beer, which gives it a clearer and perhaps more aesthetic appearance, a large part of brewer's yeast is removed, and thus a significant part of its useful ingredients.

As for the famous beer belly, many researchers believe that the role of beer in obesity is undeservedly exaggerated, while attention is diverted from the really important factors. Indeed, beer contains calories - about 220 kcal for 500 milliliters of light beer. It is also true that it has the property of increasing appetite - a property due to the bitter ingredients in hops. However, today it is believed that not so much beer as systemic overeating and low physical activity are the cause of the "beer" belly, which is famous for avid beer lovers. However, we must remember that beer contains carbohydrates - about 15 - 18 grams per 500 milliliters for different types. Although 1-2 beers a day alone cannot be a reason to gain weight,overdosing on beer can affect weight.

Although moderate consumption of beer certainly carries some health benefits, necessarily has to be noted that the benefits are greater than the negatives only within narrow quantitative range. Amounts over 1.5 liters of light beer per day are enough to bring in ethanol in an amount that weighs far more than all the potential benefits of beer. In addition, contrary to the claims of many men, 1.5 liters (three beers) are enough to cause a serious prolongation of reaction time and impair the ability to drive .