Drink a pint or two of beer a day, your heart will thank you for it.
A study featuring 80,000 people by researchers at Pennsylvania State University found that moderate alcohol consumption — especially beer — helped your body maintain good cholesterol. The study found that two drinks a day for men, and one drink a day for women, makes high-density lipoproteins naturally decline slower than with teetotalers and binge drinkers. Time to consider a post-workout pint alongside your post-workout kale smoothie.
Beer was the big winner in this study. Wine has had plenty of moments in the world of health studies — like making your brain Alzheimer’s resistant and helping you out in bed, to name a few — but the Penn State study didn’t gather enough data on wine consumption to make a wine-related claim. It did find, however, that liquor helps good cholesterol last a little longer too, just not as well as beer.
The research was recently presented at an American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2016 meeting. Yes, that’s the same organization that the little Honey Nut Cheerio bee talks about. But don’t expect your next 30 rack to have the same American Heart Association logo you see on Cheerios boxes anytime soon. The study only included Chinese adults, and the researchers stated that more tests are needed on other populations before health claims could be for all humans around the world.
Yet you might not want to wait for those studies before including a shower beer in your vitamin schedule. Mariano “Pops” Rotelli swore by a shot of whiskey a day, and he just celebrated his 107 birthday. Then there’s Mildred Bowers, who suggested that part of the reason she lived past 103 is that she drank beer. Even if further studies don’t support the same heart benefits as the Penn State study found, can’t we all use a beer or two a day anyway?
