Beer is good for you! Honest...

I found this article kind of interesting. Nothing new about the effects of a glass or two of red wine a day, but great news for all those frothy quaffers out there! The key thing being that one or two pints of the amber nectar of the gods is "bueno por la salud!" but anymore than that (are you listening England?) is well, just plain old silly isn't it?

Sarah Schmidt
CanWest News Service

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

OTTAWA - Drinking a daily pint of beer brings the same health benefits as a glass of red wine, a new study has found.

Researchers at the University of Western Ontario have found one drink of beer or wine provides equivalent increases in plasma antioxidant activity. This helps prevent the oxidization of blood plasma that triggers diseases such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes and cataracts.

"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," said biochemist John Trevithick, one of the study's lead researchers.

Polyphenols, the compounds in plants that help prevent ultraviolet damage from the sun and make the plant cell wall strong, are believed to have antioxidant benefits when consumed by the human body. And even though red wine contains more polyphenols than beer, the study found that the body absorbs about equally effective amounts from beer and wine.

Mr. Trevithick added, however, that the health benefit becomes a liability at three beers, when the negative effects of alcohol cancel out the positive effects of antioxidant activity because the blood becomes pro-oxidant.

This phenomenon is known as "hormesis" -- small doses of a toxic substance can have beneficial effects while a large amount is harmful.

"You'd think that if one drink is good, three drinks would be better, but with a low dosage, you get a protective effect. A high dosage doesn't have that protective effect," said Mr. Trevithick.

Despite the positive findings, another recent study has warned of the link between gout and the moderate consumption of beer or liquor. The team of researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston reported the affliction increases in risk with every pint of beer or shot of liquor.

Specifically, they found that two or more beers a day more than doubles the risk of gout, a painful type of arthritis mostly affecting the feet, ankles, hands, wrists or elbows.

Mr. Trevithick said this new study should direct beer drinkers to drink in moderation and avoid binge drinking. "One drink a day is not bad. Maybe two is OK."

James Pratt of Ottawa is thrilled with the findings of the new study. The 28-year-old never liked the taste of wine and always stuck to beer, despite repeatedly hearing of the health benefits of a daily glass of red wine. "It's a relief. Now I can have a pint of Guinness at the end of the long day and not feel guilty about it," he said.

The findings will be published in an upcoming edition of the journal Nonlinearity in Biology, Toxicology and Medicine, published by the Association for Environmental Health and Sciences.