BetterBeerBlog

An interesting article I found on www.cnn.com today reports on a study that suggests having a big belly in your 40s can lead to Alzhimers Disease and other forms of dementia decades later. What I find particularly interesting is that the increased risk isn’t just limited to obese people (meaning people who are fat everywhere) but people who aren’t even overweight are just as susceptible.

That abdominal fat, sometimes described as making people apple-shaped rather than pear-shaped, has already been linked to higher risk of developing diabetes, stroke and heart disease.

“Now we can add dementia to that,” said study author Rachel Whitmer of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California.

As with most scientific studies that come out linking one thing to another, I find it best to take it with a grain of salt and review the findings for yourselves. The one thing I notice about these studies is that they rarely say “x causes y”. Most of the time, the wording goes more along the lines of “x may lead to y” or “x increases the chances of y”. Same thing with this article.

Dr. Jose Luchsinger of the Columbia University Medical Center in New York, who studies the connection between obesity and Alzheimer’s disease but didn’t participate in the new work, cautioned that such a study cannot prove abdominal fat promotes dementia.

But the study results are “highly plausible” and “I’m not surprised at all,” he said. High insulin levels might help explain them, he said.

So what’s the point? How does this relate to beer?

Short answer? It doesn’t. This article doesn’t relate directly to beer at all, in fact, there’s not even a mention of “beer” anywhere in the context of the article. So why even bring it up, let alone write about it?

Because it’s going to come up. Some time, some place, someone will point to the pint of liquid heaven in your hand known as “beer”, then point to your belly, then point to their temples and make those little circles in a gesture known universally as “Dat bitch be craaaaazy”. If you were to finish your beer and use the empty glass to knock that person out and then proceeded to squat up and down on their heads in a gesture universally known as “Halo-humping“, I wouldn’t hold it against you. If anything, I would marvel at your ability to complete even 2 repetitions with that gut handicapping you as it were.

In all seriousness, it is not cool to smack someone in the face with a pint glass until they get knocked out. It was disturbing enough in the movie Pans Labyrinth when Captian Vidal killed that poor farmer with a bottle. I don’t need to read about it on CNN.

Beer belly. Beer gut. Pot belly. Spare tire. Masculine obesity. Whatever you call it, it’s not too much of a stretch to imagine a beer lover with a bulbous midsection. All too often, beer is seen as the main culprit for central obesity when there is little scientific evidence to support that claim. No matter what you call it or what factors lead up to it, the fact remains that obesity can lead to strokes, heart disease, diabetes and now dementia.

This is just another public service message to the beer lovers out there to enjoy beer responsibly and to take care of yourselves by engaging in a lifestyle of moderate alcohol consumption, watching what you eat, and by being active. With all the good beers in the world to try, it’d be a shame to die early and miss out on all the fun.

The great thing about St. Patrick’s day is the whole slew of beer-related articles that come out. Forbes has come in on the act with this article written by Allison Van Dusen about the 8 Healthy Reasons to Drink Beer. And here I thought flavor was just enough.

So far, wine has gotten the lion’s share of attention when it comes to the health benefits of alcohol consumption. While there have been many studies done to show a correlation between moderate consumption of alcohol and a reduction in one’s chances for heart disease, a huge part of wine’s supposed health benefits is mainly built upon the French Paradox, which basically says that despite a diet rich in fatty foods, French people suffer from lower cardiovascular disease because they drink a lot of wine. In addition, resveratrol, a chemical produced by grape skins to reduce fungal infection, has been shown to have cardioprotective properties. Wine is also a decent source of antioxidants. In spite of all this, beer deserves a place next to wine and not behind it.

“Wine is still on moral high ground,” says Charlie Bamforth, chair and professor of the department of food science and technology at the University of California, Davis, “but beer deserves just the same acclamation.”

As you’ll probably deduce from reading the Allison Van Dusen piece and accompanying in-depth article, alcohol is the primary reason cardiovascular disease is lowered by moderate consumption of beer (and all alcoholic beverages for that matter). Knowing this, it’s still not a good idea to go out and do keg stands or do tequila shots by the dozen. As good as alcohol can be for the heart, it’s positive effects are greatly hamstrung by the detrimental effects on the brain and liver.

As I said in my previous post, it’s all about responsible and moderate consumption. Too much of anything, even a good thing, can be bad for you. That being said, here’s the list of the 8 Healthy Reasons for to Drink Beer:

1. Heart Health—A vast number of studies show that moderate consumption of alcohol, including beer, may reduce the risk of heart disease—consistently the No. 1 cause of death in the United States. A 2006 study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Harvard School of Public Health found that, among men with healthy lifestyles, those who consumed moderate amounts of alcohol had a 40 to 60% reduced risk of heart attack compared with heart healthy men who abstained.
2. Stroke—Beyond helping you get heart healthy, moderate drinking also may help prevent the formation of blood clots that can block arteries in the heart, neck and brain, according to the Harvard School of Public Health. Those blockages are a cause of the most common kind of stroke, ischemic stroke.
3. Hypertension—Hypertension, which affects about 65 million people in the United States, is linked with an increased risk in heart disease and death. But a 2007 study by Dutch researchers and researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found a link between hypertensive men drinking moderate amounts of alcohol and a lower risk of fatal and non-fatal heart attacks.
4. Diabetes—Studies have shown that people with diabetes who drink moderately may be able to reduce their risk of coronary heart disease, their biggest killer. Research also indicates that a light drinking habit may help protect men and women from developing Type 2 diabetes. This may be a result of increased insulin sensitivity or anti-inflammatory effects.
5. Cognitive Function—Is beer good for your brain? Research suggests the answer is yes. A 2006 report published in a journal of the American Heart Association showed that moderate drinking may be associated with better cognitive function in women. Likewise, a 2003 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association said that adults over 65 who consume between one and six alcoholic beverages each week have a lower risk of dementia than non-drinkers and heavier drinkers.
6. Bones—Studies have shown that beer may play a role in preventing bone loss and rebuilding bone mass in men and young women—post menopausal women have not been seen to benefit. The effect is believed to be tied to the beverage’s high silicon content. Excessive drinking, however, can lead to a greater number of bone fractures.
7. Staying Alive—A review of 50 studies has shown there’s an inverse association between moderate drinking and total mortality under all scenarios for middle-aged and older adults, according to a 2005 report from the United States Department of Agriculture. The lowest risk of death appears to occur when people consume one to two drinks per day, likely a result of the protective effects against coronary heart disease and stroke.
8. Feeling Healthier—People who drink beer, spirits or wine tend to report fewer instances of ill health than those who abstain, according to a 2001 study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. The higher the consumption of total alcohol, researchers found, the lower the levels of subjective poor health.

You can find the original article here and the in-depth article here.

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In my continuing efforts to help elevate the status of beer in the public consciousness, I am always on the look out for articles that show beer in a more favorable light than wine. I am not necessarily looking for ways to put down wine more than I am looking for examples where beer shines just a little bit brighter. So imagine my surprise when I came across this article.

To paraphrase the article, drinking alcohol impairs the brain, more specifically, the hippocampus. The hippocampus is believed to be responsible in general memory creation as well as spatial memory and navigation. That means the hippocampus helps your remember things, especially where you are, where you’ve been and how to get to where you’re going. The hippocampus is also one of the first regions of the brain to deteriorate upon the onset of Alzheimers Disease.

While consumption of alcohol affects the hippocampus of everyone, the study suggests that because women are more likely to be wine drinkers instead of beer drinkers, the negative effects of alcohol on the hippocampus have been seen more in women than men. The article implies that heavy consumers of wine, regardless of gender, would be susceptible as well.

The article also goes on to say that beer drinkers tend to have low levels of the compound homocysteine, which is linked to increased risk of cardiovascular disease, bone weakness and breaks.

I take these articles with a grain of salt. Despite the numerous articles playing up the various medical advantages of wine consumption, or even beer consumption for that matter, there are just as many pitfalls. Even one glass of wine a day can increase your chances of bowel cancer by 10%. I guess the point I’m trying to make is to enjoy alcohol responsibly. Drink for pleasure and for flavor. Sure it’s fun to get a little tipsy but it’s never fun to put anyone at risk, even yourselves.

I’ve been busy lately with my freelance design projects and I am admittedly behind on my postings. I do have a few articles in the wings and I plan on getting caught up tonight.