Healthy!





	*“Beer, if drunk in moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit and promotes health.”* — Thomas Jefferson

Everyone knows that red wine carries health benefits. Now, you may have an excuse for reaching for a brew — as a health food.

Beer:

Is a great source of B vitamins,
Reduces coronary heart disease,
Strengthens bones against osteoporosis,
Promotes bone fracture healing,
Increases the good cholesterol HDL,
Is a good source of antioxidants,
Counteracts menopausal complaints,
Aids those with bladder problems,
May fight BPH, possible inhibition of prostate cancer,
Is likely to reduce the risk of b,
May reduce the risk of stomach ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori infection,
Limits kidney stones and gallstones
Reduces the risk of birth defects

See below for more fascinating new health discoveries.

This important and extremely interesting book is a serious scientific and authoritative overview of the implications of drinking beer as part of the human diet. Coverage includes a history of beer in the diet, an overview of beer production and beer compositional analysis, the impact of raw materials, the desirable and undesirable components in beer and the contribution of beer to health, and social issues.

Just as wine in moderation has been proposed to promote health, research is showing that beer -- and the ingredients in beer -- can have similar impact on improving health, and in some instances preventing disease. For example, some cancers like bladder cancers and the incidence of cardiovascular disease are reported to be lower in moderate beer drinkers. Further- more there is a considerable body of emerging evidence to show that the antioxidant capacity of beers is high.

Heart Health

A vast number of studies show that moderate consumption of alcohol, including beer, may reduce the risk of heart disease--consistently the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. A 2006 study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Harvard School of Public Health found that, among men with healthy lifestyles, those who consumed moderate amounts of alcohol had a 40 to 60% reduced risk of heart attack compared with heart healthy men who abstained.

Stroke

Beyond helping you get heart healthy, moderate drinking also may help prevent the formation of blood clots that can block arteries in the heart, neck and brain, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Those blockages are a cause of the most common kind of stroke, ischemic stroke.

Hypertension

Hypertension, which affects about 65 million people in the United States, is linked with an increased risk in heart disease and death. But a 2007 study by Dutch researchers and researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found a link between hypertensive men drinking moderate amounts of alcohol and a lower risk of fatal and non-fatal heart attacks.

Diabetes

Studies have shown that people with diabetes who drink moderately may be able to reduce their risk of coronary heart disease, their biggest killer. Research also indicates that a light drinking habit may help protect men and women from developing Type 2 diabetes. This may be a result of increased insulin sensitivity or anti-inflammatory effects.

Cognitive Function

Is beer good for your brain? Research suggests the answer is yes. A 2006 report published in a journal of the American Heart Association showed that moderate drinking may be associated with better cognitive function in women. Likewise, a 2003 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association said that adults over 65 who consume between one and six alcoholic beverages each week have a lower risk of dementia than non-drinkers and heavier drinkers.

Bones

Studies have shown that beer may play a role in preventing bone loss and rebuilding bone mass in men and young women--post menopausal women have not been seen to benefit. The effect is believed to be tied to the beverage's high silicon content. Excessive drinking, however, can lead to a greater number of bone fractures.

Enlarged Prostate - BPH, Benign Prostate Hyperplasia

John Hopkins University Health Alert 4/21/2009
Even in this evidence-based world of ours, many medical myths and old wives' tales still survive. "A lot of men read in men's magazines or their local newspapers that once you have a prostate problem, you're not to drink a drop of alcohol, because it will make your BPH symptoms worse," said Mark A. Moyad, M.D., M.P.H. "This is why Dr. Roehrborn's finding is a critical finding, and I'm glad this research came out."

What exactly what did Dr. Claus Roehrborn uncover in his examination of more than 19,000 men, across five continents, and a large spectrum of ages? Dr. Roehrborn, the director of Urology at the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center at Dallas, reported that the more alcohol men drank, the better their BPH symptoms were, dismissing the persistent myth that drinking alcohol worsens voiding symptoms. Click here for report

Staying Alive

A review of 50 studies has shown there's an inverse association between moderate drinking and total mortality under all scenarios for middle-aged and older adults, according to a 2005 report from the United States Department of Agriculture. The lowest risk of death appears to occur when people consume one to two drinks per day, likely a result of the protective effects against coronary heart disease and stroke.


	Feeling Healthier People who drink beer, spirits or wine tend to report fewer instances of ill health than those who abstain, according to a 2001 study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. The higher the consumption of total alcohol, researchers found, the lower the levels of subjective poor health.

In Depth: Eight Healthy Reasons To Drink Beer - Forbes magazine

A search of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology reveals several recent studies related to Alcohol consumption and cardiovascular mortality. Recall, beer has alcohol. Research continues to reveal that moderate consumption of alcohol whether it is in wine or beer (those are the two beverages often cited in related stories) will reduce the risk of coronary heart disease when compared to the lifestyles of binge drinkers and non-drinkers of alcoholic beverages.

Reviewed records of nearly 250K Americans over 13 yrs. Key findings: Moderate drinkers (3-7 drinks/week for women, 3-14 for men) had 33% reduced risk of coronary heart disease death compared to nondrinkers. Moderate drinkers also had 24% reduced risk for stroke death.”

According to a report in Science Daily, Simona Costanzo, epidemiologist and first author of one of the studies states, “We observed that regular and moderate consumption has beneficial effects even for people already affected by heart attack, or stroke. Not only they are less likely to be affected by similar diseases again, but all-cause mortality too resulted to be lower than in those who did not consume any alcoholic beverage. Risk reduction is about 20%. This means that one event out of five can be spared. It is a huge advantage, comparable to the one already recorded for healthy individuals."

The health benefits of the hop plant have been known for centuries since the early Romans used it. Researchers at Oregon State University first discovered the cancer-related properties of this flavonoid compound called xanthohumol about 10 years ago. Now this aspect of the hop plant is being pursued for even more detailed study.

"Xanthohumol is one of the more significant compounds for cancer chemo-prevention that we have studied," said Fred Stevens, a researcher with OSU's Linus Pauling Institute and an assistant professor of medicinal chemistry in the College of Pharmacy.

In the 1990s, researchers at OSU, including Stevens and toxicologist Don Buhler, began to look at the compound from another perspective -- its anti-cancer properties. It showed toxicity to human breast, colon and ovarian cancer cells, and most recently has shown some activity against prostate cancer in OSU studies.

"Its every man's dream to hear that beer and pizza can prevent cancer," said Richard Atkins, head of the US National Prostate Cancer Coalition, noting that a chemical found in tomato pizza sauce is another believed cancer fighter.

Heart Health: A vast number of studies show that moderate consumption of alcohol, including beer, may reduce the risk of heart disease--consistently the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. A 2006 study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Harvard School of Public Health found that, among men with healthy lifestyles, those who consumed moderate amounts of alcohol had a 40 to 60% reduced risk of heart attack compared with heart healthy men who abstained.

"The wine guys have stolen the moral high ground," said Charles Bamforth, a biochemist and professor of food science at the University of California, Davis. "The reality is there's now growing consensus around the world that the active ingredient in alcoholic beverages that counters atherosclerosis is alcohol. It doesn't matter if it's wine or beer."

"I resent the stance that people take that wine is better," he added. "It's not."

Over the years, scientists have uncovered a number of health benefits in beer. The beverage contains folate, for example, which helps prevent cancer and reduces the risk of birth defects. Beer can also limit kidney stones and gallstones. And it can lower the risk of late-onset diabetes.

"The list," Bamforth said, "goes on and on."

Alcohol consumption can keep women svelte: Staying slim seems to be one of the benefits of drinking a couple glasses of beer or wine a day, but only for women, according to a recent study done at Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston. The study found that females who drank one to two alcoholic drinks daily were least likely to gain weight. In fact, they were 30-percent less likely to pack on the pounds than women who eschew alcohol completely.

The researchers followed more that 19,000 normal-sized women, aged 39 and older, for 13 years. Though all the women tended to gain weight over time, teetotalers gained the most, per U.S. News & World Report. Why? That question wasn’t answered, though it could be that women substitute alcohol for other foods, while men add alcohol to their caloric intake.

The balancing scale of health benefits versus health dangers of alcohol seems to be tipping toward mommy’s little equilibrium enhancer — red wine’s heart-healthy, beer’s good for bone density — now we learn that a couple drinks of either can keep you slender.

As always, the key is moderation. More than two drinks a day puts you at higher risk of certain cancers, not to mention an inability to operate dangerous equipment, including cars, knifes, and television remote controls.

So, hoist a pint in moderation as a part of healthy living. Cheers!

Oakland, OR 97462
Email: info@hiddenwellbrewery.com