Beer: Contribution to Health?

On average, Germans drank 101 liters of beer per capita in 2017. Even the Greek philosopher Plutarch appreciated the barley juice: “Beer is the most useful of beverages, the tastiest of medicines and the most pleasant of foods.” Whether beer is really so healthy and what else is in the drink, we reveal in this article.

What’s in beer?

That beer has healthy ingredients is not a new discovery. It is made from just four ingredients:

  • Hops
  • Malt
  • Water
  • Yeast

Exclusively these four ingredients form the composition of German beer, which is still brewed with the same ingredients as almost 500 years ago (Purity Law of 1516). In other countries, spices, fruits and herbs are occasionally added to refine the taste. In Germany, however, such mixtures must be labeled as mixed beer beverages.

Hops as a medicine

Perhaps the most important ingredient in beer from a health perspective is hops. Hops belong to the hemp family and came to Central Europe around the 8th century. The female fruiting stems of the tough climbing plant are also used as a medicine. They contain a resin with valuable bitter substances as well as essential oil – these ingredients not only give beer spiciness, durability and foam; they also help with loss of appetite, stomach weakness and restlessness. Hops have a generally calming effect while stimulating the metabolism. The true hop was even named medicinal plant of the year in 2007. However, hops develop their effect better in a freshly brewed hop tea than in a cold beer.

Other healthy ingredients in beer

According to the Society for Public Relations of the German Brewing Industry, beer contains all the B vitamins – mainly provided by the malt. Especially the vitamins B2 (riboflavin), B6 (pyridoxine), vitamin B5 (panthenolic acid) and vitamin B3 (niacin), which are so important for metabolism, are found in beer in abundance. Due to the added yeast, beer also contains a lot of folic acid and biotin, which are necessary for blood formation and cell renewal. In addition, beer provides important antioxidants that protect us from cell damage. For this reason, beer is also considered in some circles as a miracle cure for healthy skin and beautiful hair. As a mineral in beer, phosphoric acid is nutritionally important, as it is a component of the cellular building blocks necessary for life. Beer also contains potassium – this supports, among other things, the excretion of sodium. In addition, the beverage contains magnesium and is practically fat-free and completely cholesterol-free. However, due to the removal of fats during processing, fat-soluble vitamins are lost. In addition, water-soluble vitamin C, which is normally found in abundance in barley and malt, is also destroyed during production. Below, we have briefly summarized the beneficial ingredients of beer again for you:

  • B vitamins (especially B2, B3, B5, B6, biotin and folic acid).
  • Antioxidants
  • Phosphoric acid
  • Potassium
  • Magnesium

Health risks of beer consumption

Even though the favorite alcoholic beverage of the Germans has a surprising number of healthy ingredients, the consumption of beer has some disadvantages for health:

  • Thus, the carbonic acid combined with the irritating effect of alcohol can cause increased heartburn and gastritis.
  • In addition to palate pleasures such as cheese, chocolate and red wine, beer is also suspected of being a frequent trigger for migraine attacks.
  • Beer is further believed to increase the risk of diabetes, gout, heart attacks and cirrhosis of the liver.
  • According to a study by the American Institute for Cancer Research, even regular consumption of a small amount of beer can permanently increase the risk of cancer.
  • Another effect of frequent consumption of beer is that the alcohol in beer can lead to faster accumulation of fat on the abdomen, especially in men. The cause is usually a liver congestion, that is, blood congestion with tissue changes in the liver, which is also considered the first sign of liver inflammation.

Beer and alcohol in general should also not be taken at the same time as medications. This includes antibiotics and over-the-counter medicines for allergies, as well as painkillers and sedatives.

Alcohol in beer or rather non-alcoholic?

Alcohol preserves the beer and at the same time is decidedly caloric. For example, if you drink two liters of beer, you consume the equivalent calories of ten rolls. Non-alcoholic beer is a low-calorie alternative. By way of comparison, a 0.5-liter glass of non-alcoholic beer has around 130 kilocalories, while a glass of alcoholic Pilsner has around 210 kilocalories. Alcohol-free beer is produced with the help of special yeasts or when the fermentation process is interrupted – whereby alcohol-free usually means that it still contains an alcohol content of up to 0.5 per mille. In another process for producing the alcohol-free beverage, the alcohol is removed from the beer by evaporation in a kind of dialysis – here the loss of taste is the least. Since 2008, beers with an alcohol content of 0.0 percent have also been available for purchase. These have even fewer calories than diet beer, which is produced mainly for diabetics and contains less sugar than normal beer.

Malt beer as an alternative to pilsner and wheat

Malt beer is also a popular alternative to the alcoholic beer drink. Malt beer contains only about 0.5 percent alcohol because the fermentation process is broken during its production. Nevertheless, it is not advisable to offer malt beer to children, as it could accustom minors to the taste of beer. In terms of calories, malt beer is about 235 kilocalories per 0.5 liter, partly because sugar is often added.

Beer as a gateway to alcoholism

Conventional beer can be highly addictive despite its relatively low alcohol content. Anyone who drinks a beer every evening over a long period of time could already be in danger of becoming an alcoholic. Especially when it comes to socially accepted beer drinking, regular consumption is not a conspicuous behavior. This is why alcoholism caused by beer consumption is often detected very late or not at all. Beer can therefore pose a particular risk to health in this respect.

Non-alcoholic wheat beer as an isotonic sports drink

Since sweating deprives the body of fluids and minerals, the high water content in beer can not only quench thirst but also provide important nutrients, minerals and vitamins. Beer also stimulates lung activity in athletes, allowing oxygen to be better absorbed by the body. However, beer should not be drunk primarily as a substitute for water. Because it has a diuretic (diuretic) effect, beer can even stimulate bladder and kidney activity, leading to the excretion of too much fluid.

Bottom line: is beer healthy?

As with many things, the same is true with beer: the dose makes the poison. The occasional consumption of beer can provide us with an extra kick of vitamins and minerals that are very important to our well-being – but, mind you, are also found in fruits and vegetables. However, excessive beer consumption can have significant negative consequences for the body and promote diseases such as cancer or liver inflammation. So if you value the taste of a cool beer above all else, you should try to fall back on the numerous non-alcoholic variants now and then, and you can even save a few calories in the process.