The health benefits of red wine get quite a bit of attention, while old beer tends to be dismissed as so many empty calories.
a new study finds that drinking a 330ml bottle of beer with dinner each night promotes greater microbial diversity in the gut and better markers for gut health.
Polyphenols found in hops, barley, and yeast are credited with these benefits. Microorganisms active in the fermentation process are also thought to have been beneficial.
A secondary finding was that a beer each night had no impact on waistline, at least for the study participants. There was also no negative impact on her cardiovascular health.
The researchers found that the participants’ weight, body mass index (BMI), and serum markers of heart health and metabolism did not change during the study.
The studio was small.
The NOVA University of Lisbon study was a small pilot investigation.
In this double-blind, two-arm, randomized parallel trial, 19 healthy men were recruited to drink 330 ml of non-alcoholic beer or alcoholic beer (5.2% alcohol) daily for four weeks.
Blood and stool samples were collected before and after the intervention, and the gut microbiota was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing.
Over the four weeks, both non-alcoholic and alcoholic beer increased gut microbiota diversity “which has been associated with positive health outcomes and tended to increase fecal alkaline phosphatase activity, a marker of barrier function intestinal”.
High or low levels of fecal alkaline phosphatase activity can be harmful, especially to the liver. It seems that a daily beer helps kick this activity level into the sweet spot.
As the researchers advise: “Studies have shown that when more types of bacteria are present, people tend to have a lower chance of developing chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes.”
Nevertheless, independent researchers have pointed out that the types of bacteria (good or bad) were not specifically determined.
Hops are the likely magic ingredient.
the polyphenol xanthohumolFound in hops, it has been found to stimulate cognition and inhibit the growth of breast tumors in animal experiments.
It was also investigated as a potential weapon. antiviral early in the COVID-19 pandemic.
In general, xanthohumol is said to be one of the most potent polyphenolsplant compounds with apparent health-protective qualities.
Hop consumption tends to be limited to those found in beer. This can serve as an excuse to enjoy a lager… but only one.
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