Beer Equal to Red Wine?

I don't think so.

Hey folks,

We're back. So my Wife is a Yogini. A Female who practices Yoga. I'm NOT a Yogi. {Male version} I never really had any interest in it whatsoever. Now do not get me wrong, I do not think it's stupid, or think anyone who practices Yoga is weird, or anything like that. There are PROVEN benefits to Yoga in a vast different areas of health. Just not my thing.

However, she was reading an article to me yesterday about drinking alcohol and those that practice Yoga. Should they? I was listening. No. Really. I was listening. {Smile} Then she said something that got my FULL attention. Although it is not frowned upon, many chose not to drink. Those that do, do so in moderation. Well, I agree with that. Everything in moderation. But then she said this. "Remember, a beer is just as good for you as a glass of wine."

WHAT? She read it again. So you know me. To the Computer I came. Is a glass of beer REALLY as good for you as a Glass of Red Wine? All the studies I have both done and seen over the years says the opposite. NOTHING beats a glass or two of Red Wine for your heart. In our Health and Science Segment this week, we will look at that statement. So I starting looking into this claim. The first thing I found was Time Out New York - Wine vs. Beer

Wine drinkers have reason to be cocky. “Red wine is higher in antioxidants than white wine or beer,” says registered dietitian Debra Waldoks. “Cabernet sauvignon is the highest.” Processed with the skin of the grapes, the reds have more tannin, a type of antioxidant also found in tea. White wine and beer (particularly dark beer) also contain antioxidants, but not to the extent of red wine.

Does Beer have ANY Benefit? According to Time Out.

Waldoks notes that beer may have one up on vino, however, as a recent study showed that it may help you on the calcium front. “That’s kind of a hot topic right now,” she says. “Beer might protect your bone density by allowing calcium to deposit in the bones.”

Then this. From BNET - Wine vs. beer vs. whiskey

I've heard that a glass or two of wine a day is good for your heart. But I simply hate the taste. Does a mixed drink, like a Manhattan, provide similar benefits?

--E.W., Portland, OR

Nope. Wine and whiskey may both produce a similar effect, but according to John Folts, Ph.D., a professor of medicine and nutritional science at the University of Wisconsin, only wine and beer contain flavonoids, a heart-protecting compound. The darker the booze, the higher the flavonoid content. "Red wine packs about eight times as many flavonoids as white wine," says Folts.

If you don't like wine, Folts recommends grape juice. Or, if you're looking for a buzz, choose a dark beer, which has up to three times the levels of flavonoids found in paler ales.

The Mayo Clinic states this. "Research studies on the heart-health benefits of red wine have reported mixed results." They also claim that "Other types of alcohol, such as white wine and beer, contain small amounts, too," however Red Wine seems superior.

With all this healthy talk, some say that it is also detrimental to your health in higher doses.

ScienceDaily (Mar. 10, 2009) — The largest study of its kind to evaluate the effect of red versus white wine on breast-cancer risk concludes that both are equal offenders when it comes to increasing breast-cancer risk. The results of the study, led by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, were published in the March issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

So basically it goes back to everything in moderation. You can get some benefits from Beer, DARK Beer, and even Hard Liquor, but as the evidence points out, Red Wine is still King.
Peter

Sources:
Time Out New York - Wine vs. Beer
BNET - Wine vs. beer vs. whiskey
Science Daily - Red vs White
The Mayo Clinic- Heart Health

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