Beer May Reduce The Risk of Heart Disease

Scientists from the Mediterranean Neurological Institute in Italy claimed in the journal Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Disease, that drinking small amounts of beer per day may reduce the risk of heart disease by 25%. The team of scientists conducted a wide-ranging review of more than 150 studies and concluded that drinking up to two 1.4 glasses of beer a day for men and half of that for women, could have a beneficial effect on heart health.

The scientists stated that "unless they are at high risk for alcohol-related cancers of alcohol dependency, there is no reason to discourage healthy adults who are already light or moderate beer consumers from continuing. Data reported in this document show evidence for no harm of moderate beer consumption for major chronic conditions and some benefit against cardiovascular disease”.

This study comes months after Dame Sally Davies, a chief medical doctor, issued new recommended guidelines to the public to limit their alcohol consumption to just 14 units a week. Dame Sally Davies also suggests to the public that they should contemplate the risks of cancer before taking a sip, "do as I do when I reach for my glass of wine - think 'Do I want the glass of wine or do I want to raise my own risk of breast cancer?”

She argued that science has indicated even moderate drinking could raise the risk of every kind of cancer. Even though the scientists found that drinking was linked to a slight increase in the risk of certain cancers, it has no effect on the possibility of developing other forms of the disease, asserting that "there is no evidence that beer drinking is different from other types of alcoholic beverages in respect to risk for some cancers”.