Beer, the misunderstood drink

1






Beer, the misunderstood drink

Cecilia Acevedo Espinosa

City University of Seattle

English composition II
Beer, the misunderstood drink

2
Beer, the misunderstood drink

Beer is one of the most common alcohol drinks that people use to consume in social
events. That is one of the reasons that it has been misunderstood. When we think about alcohol
drinks and health, the first thing that comes into our minds is that they are bad for our body and
that we must avoid them the most we can; since we were little, we were taught that alcohol was
not healthy and that we should avoid it. According to recent studies scientists have found out that
beer is not that harmful, as they had informed. Instead of that, they assure that drinking beer in
controlled amount is really good for our health condition. In this essay I will explain some of the
benefits that this misunderstood drink can provide to us.

Before explaining the benefits of beer it is important to know where does beer come from
and what does it contain. Beer is mainly made from four ingredients, which are malt, hops, water
and beer yeast. Malt is the most important ingredient of all; it provides the flavor to the beer and
the content of alcohol that it has. Hops are also important to the flavor but its main purpose is to
preserve the drink. Water is the main ingredient; around 90% of the drink is made of water so we
can assure that it is a great option to hydrate ourselves. The last but not the least important
ingredient is the beer yeast; it is conformed of single-celled organism that convert sugar into
alcohol and carbon dioxide by the process named fermentation. (Albany pump station, 2010)

Prevents heart diseases: The first and the most known benefit that beer offers is the
protection from heart diseases. A lot of studies say that people who drink beer in a moderate way
have lower risks of having a heart disease than the people who does not drink and the ones who
drink much more. Beer prevents these diseases because it reduces the bad cholesterol and
Beer, the misunderstood drink

3
increases the good one; therefore, it prevents blood to form clots. It also works as a blood
thinning lowering the risk for stroke and embolism. However if the consumer takes more than
one beer per day, the excess of alcohol will produce high pressure in blood causing heart
problems.

Prevent kidney diseases: A little bit less than a half percent of the probabilities about
getting kidney stones are reduced by drinking one beer every day. This is because of the amount
of magnesium and the amount of water that beers contain. Kidney stones are forms with the
concentration of calcium in kidneys; when we drink beer the water from the drink flows in our
body and eliminates the concentration of calcium and also does magnesium.

Prevent some types of cancer: Antioxidants found in the vegetables that we are forced to
eat are also contained in this drink because of the hops it has. Antioxidants offer protection
against some types of cancer such as the one located in the stomach. Also, a study made in
Portugal suggests that beer eliminates most of the heterocyclic amines (cancer cells) preventing
this disease. Beer also blocks the male and female hormones, which can prevent prostate cancer.

Provides vitamins: The reason why beer and vitamins go together is quite obvious,
actually. Beer is made from a variety of grains most notably malt. In its raw form, malt is a well
recognized source of vitamin B complexes (Beer benefits, 2012). B vitamins are good for the
prevention of cardiovascular diseases and to decrease the levels of triglycerides. A Dutch study
affirms that beer provides two times more vitamins than wine. Doctors assure that 250 ml of beer
per day provides enough vitamins. If we consume more then our digestive system will not be able
to digest all of the substance producing the named hangover.
Beer, the misunderstood drink

4

Decrease the chances of getting diabetes: Another study made last year in Harvard shows
that people who drink one beer three or four times a week have less probabilities of having
diabetes than hard drinkers and abstainers; this because alcohol increases the insulin which
prevent this disease.

Strength our bones: in moderate amounts of beer, the silicon that beer contains is
absorbed giving strength. If we consume more beer then the probabilities of getting osteoporosis
and arthritis or having our bones fractured increase.

Helps our brain: hops in beer are a rich source of silicon which is not only good for our
bones but also for our brain; it prevents the excessive formation of aluminum in our stomach (a
poisonous substance for our brain) and therefore it decreases the possibility of acquiring
Alzheimer. A health studio made on 2005 showed that the moderate drinkers showed a younger
brain age in a memory test.

It is important to point out that all of these advantages of beer apply only if the person is
healthy, beer must be drank in low volume. If t drinker has more than 2 beers the results will be
the opposite. When people drink big amounts of beer they will get a lot of diseases such as heart
problems, cirrhosis, brain damage, etc. Also, the consume of beer is not recommended for
children and teen agers because alcohol, even in small amounts does not let the brain and other
organs to develop to its maximum capacity

Beer, the misunderstood drink

5
Now that we know all of this information is our responsibility to drink just what we need
because everything in overage is bad. Having a healthy life does not mean that we are not
allowed to drink alcohol; it means that we have to have a balance in what we do and consume.
Beer is only a bonus to our life; by only drinking it we wont prevent all the diseases explained;
we must have a healthy life by having a diet and doing exercise. We can enjoy the flavor and all
the benefits that this drink offers only if we take just a little bit. It is important to be aware that
all of this can be used against us and the no control of this might cause our death.

Beer, the misunderstood drink

6
References:
Benefits of beer (2012). Health benefits of beer. Retrieved june 23, 2012 from:
http://www.benefitsofbeer.com/

Cool, L. C. (2012, january) . 10 Surprising Health Benefits of Beer. Yahoo health.
Retrieved june 24, 2012from:http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/10-surprising -
health-benefits-beer?page=3

Jegtvig, S. (2012, May). Beer nutrition. About.com. Retrieved june 24, 2012 from:
http://nutrition.about.com/od/hydrationwater/a/beer_Nutrition.htm

The Albany pump station (2010). Beer ingredients. 19 Quackenbush Square Albany, NY.
Retrieved June 23, 2012 from: http://www.evansale.com/beer/beer-ingredients/

The brewers of Europe (2004). The benefits of moderate beer consumption. 3
rd
ed.
Retrieved June 24, 2012 from: http://www.brewersofeurope.org/docs
/publications/pdf-Mei04.pdf