Freaky Friday...Beer & Health...

BEER & HEALTH

What's in our beer?

On average, it takes seven weeks, from barley to beer, to produce a bottle of our standard lager (such as Castle). As the brewing process is a natural one, and cannot be speeded up, this is comparable to other international brands that share a similar climate to South Africa.
Beer contains no fat or cholesterol.
Our beers contain only malted barley, water, hops and maize or rice (Miller Genuine Draft). Yeast transforms the sugars to alcohol, but is not an ingredient as such.
There are no preservatives or additives in any of our beers.
Beer is beneficial in combating heart disease, osteoporosis, stomach ulcers, Alzheimer's and helps reduce the formation kidney stones.
An entire 340ml can of Castle Lite contains only 408kJ and the same unit of a regular strength brew, like Castle Lager, 465kJ. There are about 1 020kJ in 340ml of dry wine. Fifty grams of peanuts contain 1 230kJ
Beer - the forgotten nutraceutical?
Barry Axcell - SABMiller Group Chief Brewer
The beginnings of brewing are lost in the mists of time. Inscriptions on ancient Sumerian tablets show that beer was that beer was brewed at least 6000 years ago and drunk by the rich through straws of gold or lapis lazuli. Its origin, however, may be much more ancient and even go back tot he so-called "dawning of civilization" when men moved from a nomadic existence to one of agriculture some 10 000 years ago. Quite possibly the catalyst in this change of lifestyle may have been the realisation that growing barley could generate the raw materials to produce the "humble pint". The is difficult to separate baking and brewing in the distant past as they were intimately linked and in number of languages the word for "bread" and "brewed" are in fact the same.
Whatever the origins, beer has played an important part in human history. In ancient Egypt, King Rameses III was said to have sacrificed half million jugs of beer to the Gods. An old Egyptian slogan states that "the mouth of a perfectly happy man is filled with beer". By the Middle Ages, beer was seen as very important tot he medieval family and certainly a lost safer to drink than water. The wife was usually responsible for both brewing and baking. During this tome many monasteries became involved in the production of beer which gave beer a seal of "holy approval". The daily allowance of beer at court in Tudor times was around 9 litres! The artist William Hogarth, painted two pictures in 1735 depicting the virtues of beer over gin. The one painting, called "Gin Lane", describes a scene of drunkenness and social chaos whereas the other "Beer Street" depicts respectability and the flourishing of the arts and literature. During the 1800's beer was seen as essential for health and according to Dr Charles Macalister, a consultant paedeatrician in England, teetotalers were looked at as dietetic cranks and sometimes rejected by medical examiners for life assurance on the grounds that they were taking risks in abstaining from what was considered to be an essential food. In the 1950's and 1960's in the UK a number of now famous advertisements on beer and its health benefits were seen. The classic "Guinness is good for you" and by golly, it does you good", are examples of this. However, from the 1970's onwards, many foods and beverages became associated with health concerns.
There were new concerns about chronic diseases, especially cancer. Analytical techniques were developed to detect trace amounts of substances present in food that could be harmful. As these techniques became more sensitive, the levels of compounds that could be detected became lower and lower. What was classed as zero 2 or 3 years ago was now quoted in micrograms, nanograms or even femtograms. Now, of course, consumers expect foods to be totally "risk free". Legislators respond to this by adopting the "precautionary principle" and demand levels of certain substances to be declared. As lower levels of detection become available, the more so-called "hazardous" chemicals are found in food. This can de described as the "analytical paradox". Consequently more and more "food scares" have been reported in the media. The combined effect of all this work is to focus on the health negatives rather than the health positives of food and beverages.
So, arguably, for 99.5% of beer's history is was seen as a nutritious, wholesome product that was an integral part of family life and culture. Only in the last 30 years or so were these values largely overlooked. Interestingly, in the 1990's the general perception was that 'you are what you eat'. In other words, the predominant cause of illness was diet with genetics playing a small part. As we moved into 2000's that perception changed with genetics being seen more as the dominant player in causing illness with being seen more as the dominant player in causing illness with diet being relegated to a much lower percentage. More and more evidence is again accumulating on health benefits of moderate beer consumption.
What was originally called the "wine paradox" has been widely shown to be due to alcohol. Alcohol can protect against heart disease in number of ways:
It can inhibit atheroschlerosis by increasing levels of apolipoprotein A-1 and by increasing levels of high density lipoprotein (HDLP).
Thrombosis (clotting) can be inhibited through lowering of fibrinogen, lowering platelet aggregation and increasing the break-up of clots.
There is a general reduction of stress and coronary arteries are dilated.
There have been many clinical studies worldwide carried out in the last 5 years that support the above observations. Recently (December 1999), Rimm et al (Harvard School of Public Health) in the British Medical Journal published an overview of coronary heart disease research that took a statistical review of clinical studies worldwide. This research showed that 30g of alcohol/day (approx. 2½ beers) increased HDLP on average by 8,3% and Apolopoprotein A1 by 6,5%. He estimated a 25% reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease as a result of this alcohol intake over the control groups of abstainers. Beer of course is ideal for moderate alcohol consumption because of its relatively high water content and low alcohol levels.
Figure 1

% alcohol (w/v)
Beer 3 - 5
Wine 10 - 15
Spirits 30

% water (w/v)
Beer 92 - 95
Wine 85 - 90
Spirits 70

Traditionally, beer has been seen both as a source of moderate alcohol and as a source of nutrients.
Figure 2
Beer 1S a good source of nutrients

INGREDIENT

Total carbohydrate g/100ml
Beer 1,5 - 3
Wine 0,1 - 6
Milk 5

Total protein g/100ml
Beer 0,2 - 0,6
Wine 0,02
Milk 4,7

Total fat (lipid) g/100ml
Beer -
Wine -
Milk 3 - 4

Fibre g/100ml
Beer 0,5 - 1
Wine -
Milk -

Vitamins mg/100ml
Beer 2 - 2,5
Wine 0,1 - 0,4
Milk 2

Antioxidant phenolics mg/100ml
Beer 20 - 60
Wine 30 - 74
Milk -
Table after Baxter, D World Brewing Congress, Orlando 2000
Ferulic acid is a phenolic antidoxidant that can protect blood lipoproteins from oxidants. Not only does beer contain ferulic acid but more importantly it is also bioavailable. Beer is also a good source of minerals as it is high in potassium, low in sodium, high in magnesium and also contains significant amounts of calcium, phosphate and silicon. The latter is important for healthy bones and although it is common in cereals it is generally not easily absorbed. However in beer, it is much more bioavailable (Bella et al, Lancet, 1994).
Health benefits Associated with Moderate Beer Consumption

Heart
Alcohol 4
Wine 4
Beer 4

Osteoporosis
Alcohol 4
Wine 4
Beer 4

Helicolacter
Alcohol -
Wine 4
Beer 4

Alzeheimers
Alcohol -
Wine 4
Beer 4

Kidney Stones
Alcohol -
Wine -
Beer 4

After Baxter, D. W.B.C., Orlando
During the malting process, whereby barley is germinated and kilned under controlled conditions, a number of important nutrients are formed. For example, the folate (a vitamin) content of malt increases sixfold. Sprouted cereals have long been seen as a nutrients food so it is not suprising that much of their goddness is carried through into the beer itself.
Very recently a number of hop compounds have been shown to exhibit anti-cancer as well as anti-cancer as well as antioxidant properties. Preliminary studies have also indicated that hop compounds may be important in preventing osteporosis, ulcer formation, cardiovascular disease and may even protect against liver disease. There is also a growing body of evidence that phytoestrogens derived from hops in beer are beneficial to health for both men and women.
All this evidence is really telling us what has been known for the best part of the last 6000 years: that beer, in moderation, is a wholesome and nutritious drink. This idea of beer as a 'nutraceutical' - a pleasant form of acquiring some essential nutrients can build on this foundation and re-position beer as THE alcohol drink of moderation. If you can live longer and healthier by savouring this 'golden nectar', what an added bonus!