All About Beer

At last the sunshine has arrived and dare we say it- summer is here! Hand in hand with good weather goes sitting outside and drinking an ice-cold beer. Interestingly drinking beer is often associated with being “unhealthy” as apposed to red wine, which is thought to be “healthy”. Beer drinkers are often referred to in less elegant ways as the “lager louts”, “beer guts” and “brewers droop”. But, is it really true that beer is unhealthy and wine is healthy. Have a look at the facts.

Nutrient and energy content of common servings of an ‘average’ beer compared to wine (dry white or red)

Currently recommendations stand that men should have no more than 21 units (3-4 units per day) of alcohol per week and women no more than 14 units per week (2-3 units per day). One unit of alcohol is a half pint of beer, a glass of wine or a measure of spirits. This can be very misleading, because how big is a glass? For beer drinkers it is easy, beer is served and sold as pints or half pints. Whereas wine drinkers have a problem, a small glass of wine of 8% alcohol does contain one unit of alcohol. The size of a glass is so variable, some wine glasses are 125 ml and others may often be 175 ml or greater. Look at the unit calculator below:

According to the above table, beer has less alcohol and calories per volume in comparison to wine. The problem probably lies in the fact that no one could really drink 6 pints of wine per night, but could easily pack away 6 pints of lager.

It is essential to understand how beers are made. The Beer Academy explains: “The raw materials and brewing process are essentially the same for all the different beer types whether they are lagers, ales, milds or stouts. Beer is brewed from malted barley, which is milled and mashed in hot water to allow the malt enzymes to break down the cereal starch and protein releasing soluble sugars and amino acids. The resulting solution (“sweet wort”) is then boiled with hops to extract the hop bitterness to produce “bitter wort”. The bitter wort is cooled and “pitched” with brewer’s yeast which ferments the soluble sugars to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide.”

So don’t look down on beer and don’t be surprised by the fact that a half a pint of apple juice contains 10 calories more than a half a pint of lager. It remains our national drink. We have our own brilliant breweries. Why not start experimenting with beer, you will soon find a style of beer that hits the mark. There is a beer for every season, summer beer should be refreshing, light and zesty and winter beers are the darker, heavier porters and stouts. There is also a fine art to beer and food matching.

Binge Drinking

Originally the term ‘binge’ was used in its clinical sense to refer to a periodic bout of continual drinking, over a period of days, by someone who was alcohol dependant, and ending only when the drinker was physically unable to continue.

More recently the term ‘binge drinking’ refers to a high intake of alcohol in a single drinking occasion. The number of drinks or units of alcohol consumed in a single drinking session often define binge drinking. There is no internationally agreed definition, but in the UK, drinking surveys normally define binge drinkers as men consuming at least 8, and women at least 6 standard units of alcohol in a single day.

Getting worried, yet?

One unit could be any of the following:

½ pint beer, lager or cider (4-5% strength)

¼ pint beer, lager or cider (>6% strength)

125ml glass wine (10-13% strength)

25ml shot spirits (40% strength)

45-60ml glass port or sherry (18-21% strength)

The term binge drinking is certainly not new, nor exclusively a British phenomenon. Heavy sessional intake and drinking to get drunk have been an integral part of British drinking culture as far back as the Vikings.

Binge drinking is most prevalent in young people aged 16 -24 years, but by no means restricted to them, and continues on a diminishing scale though adult life. People who binge drink in their early 20s are more likely to continue this behaviour into their 30s and 40s.

We know that drinking too much alcohol is not good for our health, but what it is about binge drinking that makes it that much worse?

Brain damage – in large doses alcohol is neurotoxic and sustained high consumption can irreversibly destroy brain cells – adolescent brains are particularly susceptible to its effects.

Alcohol poisoning – results in muscular in coordination, burred or double vision, hypothermia and occasionally hypoglycaemia (low blood sugar), which may result in a coma. Again this occurs more commonly in adolescents. Death may occur from failure of the heart or lungs to function properly or as a result of suffocating on vomit.

Cardiovascular system – increase or surge in blood pressure and a ten-fold increased risk of stroke. One-quarter of sudden cardiac deaths in young men are due to alcohol intoxication.

Cancer – having 4 or more drinks per night increases a woman’s chance of getting breast cancer by 40%. Excessive drinking also increases the risk of developing oral cancer.

Accidents, violence and criminal behaviour – 20 to 40% of people attending A&E for treatment are intoxicated. Many have had an accident. Prevalence of violence and criminal behaviour is substantially higher among binge drinkers than among non-binge drinkers.

Psychological problems – Binge drinking causes more anxiety and neurosis than the same amount of alcohol consumer over a longer period. Binge drinking and other substance abuse increases the likelihood of other psychological problems in later life.

Unwanted/unsafe sexual activity - After binge drinking one in seven 16 – 24 year olds have had unprotected sex, 1 in 5 had sex they later regretted and 1 in 10 could not remember if they had sex the night before.

Other drug use – young binge drinkers are substantially more likely than non-binge drinkers to use illegal drugs.

Drinking Alcohal and Snoring

Apart from increasing your risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and some forms of cancer, being overweight makes you far more likely to suffer from a condition called Obstructive Sleep Apneoa. . Four out of ten men and up to three out of ten women. Millions of partners and neighbours suffer sleep disturbed nights too.

The noise of snoring is caused by parts of the nose and throat, in particular the soft palate, vibrating as you breath in and out. At night, muscles that help keep your airways open relax and become floppy, the airways narrow and vibrate more, so snoring is more likely. If you have a flabby neck you are even more likely to suffer, a good guage is you shirt collar, if it’s over a Size 16, you are most at risk.

Any content included on this Web Site is intended as a guide only and should not be used as an alternative to seeking professional advice from either your doctor or a registered specialist for yourself or anyone else. If you are displaying any symptoms or illness that concern you, we recommend you consult a doctor or a registered specialist at the earliest opportunity. No product or service advertised and/or publicised and/or appearing in the OKinHealth is, unless expressly stated to the contrary endorsed by and/or otherwise associated with the OKinHealth.

For more information check out one of our favourite Straight-talking nutritionist Gillian McKeith