Beer and red wine can cure everything, except cirrhosis

The report says:

“Flavanols are a type of flavonoid - chemicals with antioxidant properties, found in green tea, berries, fruits, vegetables and red wine.  Cocoa flavanols have been shown to improve blood circulation, protect skin from the effects of UV and potentially improve brain function.”

After more talk about the miracles of cocoa flavonols and the patented process pioneered by Mars which makes their chocolate better than any others, the article finally concludes with the warning:

“Critics warn that while the health benefits of flavanols are clear, the health-conscious should be careful when adding extra calories alongside. “An ounce of dark chocolate delivers about 150 calories. Eat that much every day without cutting back elsewhere and the girth you gain would far outweigh any benefit from chocolate.” says Dr. Thomas Lee, editor in chief, Harvard Heart Letter.

One hundred and fifty calories in an ounce of dark chocolate is 630 kilojoules in 28 grams of chocolate. As a beer lover I automatically convert that to a beery equivalent. It would take roughly 380mls of an average full-strength lager beer—slightly less than two standard drinks—to consume that many calories. Eat dark chocolate as a ‘medicine’, which is indirectly what the chocolate company is hinting you do, and you would probably want the improved circulation the flavonols provide as you waddle around the hospital ward after your gastric banding procedure.

The beer industry seems to have also discovered the benefits of a good study, with an ever increasing number pointing to beer being good for you and even better than wine in many areas.

Just this last week a study from the University of California, Davis made international headlines because it found that some beers could be rich in silicon. The study does no more than look at the amount of silicon that can be found in beer, but that didn’t stop many media outlets making the hoped-for health connection and reporting that dietary silicon might contribute to bone health. Some even suggested beer could prevent osteoporosis.

Not surprisingly the research was led by the Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting and Brewing Sciences; Anheuser Busch brew Budweiser the world’s most valuable beer brand.

Still, for the beer drinker, the news has got to be good excellent. Pale ales—one of this writer’s favourite—were found to be particularly rich in silicon. The average pale ale contains 36.5 milligrams of silicon per litre of beer. With such an impressive dose of silicon, you might ask yourself what percentage of your daily requirements that would be. I did and rushed off to find out.

The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council publishes the Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand Including Recommended Dietary Intakes which details the recommended daily intakes for  more than 40 nutrients, covering everything from Vitamin A to Zinc including such well-known vitamins and minerals as biotin, choline and molybdenum.

So what is the RDI for silicon?  There isn’t one. Why?

“In addition to the nutrients listed above, the Working Party also reviewed the literature on…arsenic, boron, nickel, silicon and vanadium. For these nutrients …it was agreed that there was little or no evidence for their essentiality in humans. This was generally in line with the findings of the US:Canadian DRI review recommendations. However, the DRI reviews set upper limits for some of these nutrients.”

Referring to the Canadian site, there is similarly no recommendation, just a note saying: “Although silicon has not been shown to cause adverse effects in humans, there is no justification for adding silicon to supplements.”

So to get 36.5 milligrams of silicon, for which there is no demonstrable dietary need, I need to drink a litre of beer—the equivalent of 5 standard drinks and more than 1700 kilojoules – almost a fifth of my daily requirement.

So what was the point of the study? Very little apart from the publicity it seems. Despite appearing in the Sydney Morning Herald under the heading “Beer benefits bone density: study”, the article goes on to quote the lead researcher, Professor Charles Bamforth, who “told reporters that the results shouldn’t be taken too seriously. The study examined the beers but it did not look at bone mineral density or analyse patients’ data.”

“I would first consider flavour and whether you like it or not,” he told science and technology magazine Discover. “Choose the beer you enjoy, for goodness sake.”

And there’s the best piece of advice from the whole study.

Beer does contain minerals and nutrients that are good for you, but it also has alcohol which, in any more than moderate amounts, can cause harm that far outweighs any nutritive benefit. You simply cannot consume the amount of beer needed to enjoy the benefits of the vitamins and other nutrients without, at best, also getting a huge dose of empty kilojoules and, at worst, the negative health impacts associated with excessive alcohol consumption.

So, when you next reach for a beer, don’t think of it as a vitamin pill and cancer cure in a bottle. Reach for the one that brings you the greatest satisfaction from its flavour and enjoy it, in moderation, simply for being the great drink that it is. Enjoy the pleasure that beer and good company bring. That’s the true tonic of beer.

One for the weekend

Stone & Wood Brewery
Draught Ale
330ml 4.4% abv

In carving out a niche for themselves against the big beer producers, Australia’s microbrewers have enlisted flavour as their weapon of choice. Brewing smaller batches and requiring a smaller market to make their products viable, these brewers have the luxury to be able to experiment with styles and flavours. This has led to many microbrewers going the way of huge flavours that justifiably generate excitement amongst the growing legion of ‘beer geeks’ but can prove to be a little challenging for the average beer-loving Australian.

The team at Byron Bay’s Stone & Wood Brewery set themselves a challenge with their first beer: to create a beer that had lots of flavour but at the same time was enjoyable and didn’t need to be approached as feat of endurance to finish. A beer to be enjoyed, fresh, at the beach. They have succeeded.

Draught ale is an unfiltered, unpasteurised ale. Between its golden colour and yeast-induced haze, the beer looks to be glowing almost unnaturally - like the over-whitened smile of a modern TV star. But this beauty is all natural. The beer is dominated by big fruit hop aromas but there is also a solid pale malt base and carefully tied bitterness. It is interesting, complex and appealing all at the same time. This is the ideal beer for balmy Byron Bay evenings and, now it has been released in bottles, look out for it nationally and drink it in good health.