Book Exerpt
that bone condition.
duodenal and gastric ulcers.
i a r
ar h
t that a
group of antioxidants known as
a onoi
r
nt in ho
ay
prevent the development of
cardiovascular disease, obesity,
diabetes and certain cancers.
The properties of hops are also useful
for purifying the blood, to stimulate
a sluggish liver, and to treat a variety
of ailments including insomnia,
migraine, indigestion, intestinal
cramps, earache, travel sickness,
irritability and tension.
Hops are also antibacterial and can
prevent the growth of food-poisoning
pathogens, such as Clostridium
i i an h io a t ria hi h ar
believed to cause stomach cancer,
Nutritional benefits
Beer contains carbohydrates, proteins,
in ra
ita in o
r an
amino acids. Also, as fermentation
increases the nutritional value of
food and drink, the
malted cereal in beer is
much more nutritious than
it would be as breakfast
cereal. B vitamins are
particularly abundant in
beer, as are potassium and
silicon, and all three have
i
n t
B vitamins: The B-vitamin
vitamins
complex is essential for the
proper functioning of almost
every process in the body,
including the central nervous
system, energy production,
digestion, and the growth of
healthy hair, skin and nails.
Potassium
Potassium: Healthy bodies need
ota i
i n y an a
to strokes, low blood sugar,
muscle disorders, impaired brain
function, abnormal blood
pressure, heart disease, kidney
disorders and stress.
Silicon
Silicon: Silicon is not produced
naturally by the body, but the
body needs it nonetheless. Beer
is one of the richest sources of
silicon available to us (it exists
in the husks of barley), which
is good news as this essential
mineral prevents our bodies
from falling apart because of its
involvement in the production of
collagen – the protein in tendons,
blood vessel walls, skin, nails and
hair. It also maintains healthy
joints and bone density, and that is
the reason why the beer drinkers in
medical studies were found less
i y to ff r ro o t o oro i
than the non-drinkers. A daily intake
of silicon of 25–30 mg is considered
ideal and one pint of beer contains
around 16 mg of it. Silicon can also
help to block the brain’s absorption
of aluminium, a toxic metal believed
to play a role in the onset of
Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.
Th r or anoth r ar o
n t
of this mineral is its anti-aging
properties. Drink beer and stay young!
Watery goodness
Beer is a way of consuming water,
though much more fun than a few
glasses of H2O! But beware: the
paradox is that some beer drinkers
become dehydrated, because beer
increases the urge to urinate. All that
water, plus the fact that hops are
diuretic means that water going in
via beer goes out again very quickly.
Think of beer as a detox, all those
to in ro
o rn i
in
h
out with the aid of your favourite
drink. And to avoid dehydration drink
some neat H2O after a session.
To quote a phrase attributed to
sixteenth-century Swiss physician
Paracelsus: ‘Cerevisia malorum divina
medicina.’ (‘A little bit of beer is
divine medicine.’)
Social welfare
Beer is the most convivial of drinks
and makes people happy, which is
n
ia or n ra
in an
physical and mental health. Professor
Sheldon Cohen, Professor of
y ho o y at arn i
on
University in the USA, said, ‘We need
to take more seriously the possibility
that a positive emotional style is a
major player in disease risk.’
Beer helps to build social bonds – just
look around the pub to see that in
action as people, formerly strangers,
start chatting over a pint. Britain’s
r t
r a ho
an
n
today a pub is not really a pub unless
it sells beer. Pubs are at the core of
British society where people,
regardless of background, come
together to enjoy the national drink
and have a communal good time;
after-work drinks down the pub are
another example of friendships