Like wine, beer can have health benefits when consumed in moderation. Non-alcoholic beers have become wildly popular recently, but are these drinks also healthful?
Scientists from NOVA University Lisbon found that men who drank either one alcoholic or non-alcoholic lager daily had a more diverse set of gut microbes, which can reduce the risk for some diseases.
The research is published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry and was conducted by Ana Faria et al.
Trillions of microorganisms line human gastrointestinal tracts, directly impacting their host’s well-being.
Studies have shown that when more types of bacteria are present, people tend to have a lower chance of developing chronic diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes.
And beer contains compounds, such as polyphenols, as well as microorganisms from its fermentation, that could impact the variety of microbes in the human gut.
A previous study showed that when both men and women consumed non-alcoholic lager beer for 30 days, their gut microbiome diversity increased.
In the study, the team examined 19 healthy men, who were divided into two groups who drank 11 fluid ounces of either alcoholic or non-alcoholic lager with dinner for 4 weeks.
The researchers found that the participants’ weight, body mass index and serum markers for heart health and metabolism didn’t change during the study.
But at the end of the 4-week period, both groups had greater bacterial diversity in their gut microbiome and higher levels of fecal alkaline phosphatase, indicating an improvement in intestinal health.
the researchers say that consuming one bottle of beer, regardless of its alcohol content, may be beneficial to the gut microbiome and intestinal health of men.
However, they add that because the safest level of alcohol consumption is none, non-alcoholic beer may be the more healthful choice.
If you care about gut health, please read studies about a big cause of leaky gut, fatty liver disease, and common high blood pressure drugs may lead to a gut disease.
For more information about gut health, please see recent studies about fermented-food diet that can reduce inflammation, improve gut health, and results showing certain fungi in your gut may drive pancreatic cancer growth.
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