Drinking beer may be good for your gut health and boost the immune system, a review suggests.
A study looking at various animal and human experiments acknowledges that purported health benefits of alcohol “are controversial”, but says sensible consumption has a “positive effect on the regulation of human immune function”.
Researchers said drinking a pint boosts the body’s immune system because of a collection of healthy bacteria in your brew that benefits the gut.
The review claims three key ingredients in beer — polyphenols, fibre and ethanol — help control and supercharge the immune system.
So what’s the second course of breakfast going to be then?
Gin, of course. Keep the malt whisky to have as dinner.
purported health benefits of alcohol “are controversial”,
I cured many a flu with a bottle of whisky.
‘However, they add that because the safest level of alcohol consumption is none, non-alcoholic beer may be the more healthful choice.’
The bastards!!!
Here in the States, Biden’s Alcohol Czar wants to limit us to two beers a week. I already shot that by breakfast on Monday.
We already tried that in the 20’s. It did not turn out well.
Steve reminds me that a hot toddy before bed can often stop a cold in its tracks.
You need a finger or two of blended Scotch, honey, hot water, and lemon juice.
Spoon a decent blob of honey into a glass or cup, and if using a glass rest the spoon against the inside of the glass.
Add the whisky, and the lemon juice. Check you have left the spoon in the glass, and pour in the hot water.
Leave a few moments for the honey and glass to warm, stir, and drink. Sleep well.
“ So what’s the second course of breakfast going to be then?”
In times past when water quality was not good, nor piped into houses, it was commonplace to drink ‘small beer’ at breakfast and other meals.
This is very low alcohol content, sometimes brewed at home, also given to children.
Steve reminds me that a hot toddy before bed can often stop a cold in its tracks.
You need a finger or two of blended Scotch, honey, hot water, and lemon juice.
Got to disagree. Best hot toddy is made with dark rum. Same method, though.
@Boganboy – September 1, 2023 at 12:15 pm
‘However, they add that because the safest level of alcohol consumption is none, non-alcoholic beer may be the more healthful choice.’
However, it’s worth remembering that there is very little genuine “science” connected with the temperance-lobby’s oft-quoted (and changed!) “sensible limits”.
The first time they were put into the public domain as “units” was when a “Times” journalist was writing something about booze consumption and contacted the BMA to find out its recommendations. In fact it had never been considered and a quick, panicky discussion in the office came up with the idea of (IIRC) 21 units a week for a man. This became gospel (even when it was raised to 28, and then back down again).. Since when, the knee-jerk response has been “booze bad!” – with very little to back it up.
Sir Richard Doll (of smoking/lung-cancer fame) did a study and suggested 63 units/week as a sensible maximum. The British Actuaries Institute (or whatever its actual name is) came up with a “U” curve indicating that life-expectancy for drinkers v tea-totallers matched at 56 units – effectively making 28 units an “optimum”. ISTR some years ago reading a report from the University Hospital of Chicago on the effects of alcohol on “heavy drinkers” (they were essentially studying “winos”) that reckoned that actual physical damage to the body only started to become apparent at levels well above 100 units/week.
So, take your pick.. 🙂
Right…. if there’s bacteria in any measureable amount in beer it’s gone bad… Really Bad..
The whole bloody point of fermentation is to kill the bloody things off…
I can’t find the original paper about the alcohol J curves in the public domain, but the charts are a couple of pages down this piece:
http://www.statsguy.co.uk/new-alcohol-guidelines/
On that subject. About 15 years ago when I was still living in the Chilterns I was playing in a golf match against another club. I don’t know how we got on to it but I had a mini rant about the ever changing nature of the recommended units, the J curves and alcohol temperance lobby.
It turned out one of my opponents had been a researcher at SKB and worked closely with the liver research team at one of the London teaching hospitals (Guy’s comes to mind). As he told it, they had been asked by the government what a safe daily level was and not having much idea said 2 bottles of wine. The government didn’t like that and they were asked to try again. Eventually they got down to around a bottle.
It should be remembered that was when a bottle of wine will have been 9% or 10% proof not the modern 13% and 14%.
Enough about beer: what about cider?
(I was at a seminar once when the speaker began with “1066 will always be remembered as the year that the Norman cider apple was introduced to England”.)
“ So what’s the second course of breakfast going to be then?”
“That beer I had for breakfast wasn’t bad, so I had one more for dessert.”
I believe it was Kris Kristofferson who proposed a solution to the problem.
Small beer wasn’t particularly small. I found this on Hacker News some time ago – “When did people stop being drunk”.
In memoriam Thomas Thetcher, 1764:
Here sleeps in peace a Hampshire Grenadier,
Who caught his death by drinking cold small Beer,
Soldiers be wise from his untimely fall
And when ye’re hot drink Strong or none at all.