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This might be the best news to start a Monday on.

If you had one too many pints this weekend and feel a tad guilty, fret not. It turns out that beer could be more beneficial to your gut health than previously thought.

A recent study shows that beer not only keeps a braai fire going, but it might also actually be better for your stomach health than probiotics.

This is a revelation that goes against the commonly held belief that beer is purely an indulgence and has no real health benefits.

‘Liquid bread’ is the oldest alcoholic beverage in human history with the first mention of it appearing on Babylonian clay tablets around 6,000 BC. Even after all these years, beer is still the most widely consumed beverage on the planet, so it’s here to stay.

The researchers reviewed the interactions and mechanisms between beer and the gut microbiome in regulating body immunity. The research suggests that the bacteria present in beer helps to improve your intestines and immune system.

“Beer is rich in many essential amino acids, vitamins, trace elements, and bioactive substances that are involved in the regulation of many human physiological functions.”

In moderation, the phenols and other nutrients it contains are fermented and broken down by the microbial community that resides in the outer layer of the gut. In healthy non-smokers, beer acutely improves parameters of arterial function and structure.

It gets even better. According to the study, beer can act as a microecological modulator and has positive effects on cancer prevention, reduction of cardiovascular events, and modulation of metabolic syndrome.

Previous studies have even suggested that beer bacteria can prevent heart disease and improve blood circulation. An experiment involving beer-drinking runners proved this as they experienced a reduced risk of upper respiratory tract disease.

Moderate consumption of beer helps in preventing arteriosclerosis and heart disease, inhibits cancer, and improves blood circulation and immune function,” wrote the researchers.

“Beer has also been shown to have antioxidant and anti-aging effects, promote estrogen production, reduce radiation damage, and help prevent cardiovascular events.”

The only bummer to this study is the word ‘moderate’, so any of these positive effects are limited if you crush a case of Castle every second day.

Low or non-alcoholic beers are also considered ‘functional foods’. Researchers believe that more study is needed, but “beer can be used in the future as a micro-ecological regulator or even as an alternative therapy for chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.”

If this doesn’t make you feel better about the week ahead, I don’t know what will. Perhaps one day your doctor will advise you to “drink two beers, and call me in the morning.”

[source:earth.com]