“Whoever drinks beer, he is quick to sleep; whoever sleeps long, does not sin; whoever does not sin, enters Heaven! Thus, let us drink beer!”
The famous Martin Luther (head of the Protestant Reformation and founder of the Lutheran Church) once said the above words.
Funny right? Well, if you reason on those words, you'd realize that drinking actually comes with its benefits, and that's why I've decided to start this blog with the answer to this question - What reason(s) should you have to start drinking beer and continue drinking.
Try perusing these 10 reasons carefully gathered from reliable sources and be surprised!
1. Aids Digestion and Boosts Immunity
Most beers, especially dark beer or stout contain up to one gram of soluble fibre unlike wine, which has no fibre at all (whether soluble or not). Interestingly, this component of beers plays an important role in preventing such intestinal disorders as constipation and diarrhoea. In case you didn't know, when you take warm beer, it improves blood circulation and provides relief for joint pain and boosts your immunity.
2. Reduces the risk of Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes
For all beer drinkers, this is good news. Studies in Harvard University have shown that beer drinkers have a 25 to 50 percent reduced risk of suffering a heart attack compared to nonbeer drinkers.
The American Diabetes Association also carried out a meta-analysis of over 10 tests and found a relationship between moderate drinking and a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes. The results showed that those who drank about 48 grams of beer had a 30% reduction in risk.
3. Aids Healthy Kidneys
Beers are in fact good for your kidneys. Each bottle of beer you drink has a 40% reduction in your risk of developing kidney stones. Now that's really nice especially if you consider how painful it is to pass out a kidney stone.
4. Lowers Your Cholesterol Levels
Truth be told, there's good and bad cholesterol and they're called HDL and LDL respectively. However, the fibre in beer helps to reduce the levels of LDL cholesterol in your body and that's the bad cholesterol, which is good for you. Although men are recommended to do no more than two(2) drinks a day.
5. Strengthens the mind and boosts the memory
Researchers at Lanzhou University recently found that a compound found in beer hops, xanthohumol, can guard against oxidative stress and fight the onset of dementia or cognitive decline. Thus, beer drinkers are less likely to suffer from Alzheimer's disease or any mental illness than nonbeer drinkers.
6. Cures Insomnia
Almost everybody knows this. If you find trouble sleeping, just pop a few bottles of beer, and you'll definitely find sleep. Even if you don't, sleep will find you! That's because beers contain lactoflavin and nicotinic acid which promote sleep.
So, if you've been having sleepless nights, make sure to drink up a few and let the snoring begin!
7. For strong bones
In 2009, a study was conducted on the silicon levels in beer and it found out that these elevated levels contribute to a higher bone density. This increases the body's ability to fight osteoporosis (the medical name given to the condition where the bones become weak and break easily)
9. Increases Vitamin B Levels
All beers contain several vitamins from B1, B2, B6, to B12. Hence, it comes as no surprise that the experts confirm a 30% increase in the levels of Vitamin B in beer drinkers than their nondrinking counterparts. Beer drinkers also have twice as much vitamins as wine drinkers. Now that's epic!
10. Beer is a Skin Food
Okay, I know this is unbelievable, but it's actually true. There are certain vitamins in beer that can regenerate the skin and have a positive impact on the smoothness and coloration of the skin.
Very cool!
Now we've got 10 benefits, but that's not all. Here's a bonus benefit.
It's not added to the list because it's not been proven yet.
Bonus - To Fight Cancer
German scientists have discovered that the xanthohumol I talked about earlier, can block excessive testosterone thus reducing the chance of prostrate cancer in men.
Without a doubt, beer is good for you. Let's just say that 'a beer a day keeps the doctor away'. So chug down a few bottles today and drink to good health.
Remember that the idea is not to get drunk every night. The plan should be to drink responsibly amongst good friends in merry environments.
So the next time you get criticized for taking down a cold beer, look the person in the eye, smile and say: 'You should read this article'. Or better still, simply share to all your friends. I'm pretty sure they'd be glad you weren't selfish with this piece of information.
