Sure, you probably have beer to thank for helping you meet your girlfriend, spurring some of your greatest stories, and bringing out your worst dance moves. But it turns out there are tons of other awesome, scientifically proven reasons to love a good brew.
Beer could safeguard your heart, boost your immunity, protect your bones, and more. Ready, set, drink up.
PROTECT YOUR HEART
Wine usually gets all the credit as the booze that helps cut back your cardiovascular disease risk, but beer may be just as heart-healthy of a beverage.
Italian researchers found that moderate beer drinkers had a 42 percent lower risk of heart disease compared to non-drinkers. For maximum protection, keep your consumption to one pint—at around 5 percent alcohol by volume—a day, the researchers say. Toast to your health with one of these summer brews.
PREVENT TYPE 2 DIABETES
Dutch researchers analyzed 38,000 male health professionals and found that when men who weren’t big boozers began drinking moderately over 4 years, they were significantly less likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes
Increased alcohol consumption over time didn’t lower the risk in men who already had a couple drinks a day, so moderation is the key word here.
Stick to a beer or two at happy hour tonight.
BE KIND TO YOUR KIDNEYS
Cheers to never having to pass a kidney stone again—or if you’re lucky, ever. Researchers in Finland found that each bottle of beer a man drinks daily lowers his risk of developing Kidney stones by 40 percent.
The researchers can’t exactly explain the link, but speculate that a high fluid intake not only makes for an excessive number of trips to the bathroom, but could also keep kidneys functioning properly. Additionally, the researchers say the hops in beer may be responsible for the correlation, helping to slow the release of calcium from bone—which could get reabsorbed by the kidneys as painful stones.
SEE CLEARER
A Guinness a day could keep the eye doctor away. Canadian researchers found that one daily beer—especially a lager or stout—increases antioxidant activity that can stop cataracts from forming in the eyes.
The kicker: The scientists found an opposite effect in participants who had three or more drinks a day. Here are six ways you can protect your eyesight today.
LOWER YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE
High blood pressure can be responsible for a range of health problems, but beer can lower your risk for hypertension, research suggests.
In one study, Harvard researchers found that moderate beer drinkers are less likely to develop high blood pressure than those who sip wine or cocktails.
SRV 