Bottoms Up: What Your Favorite Beverage Can Do for You

“Beer, if drank in moderation, softens the temper, cheers the spirit, and promotes health.” – Thomas Jefferson

Studies show that moderate drinkers are generally healthier than those who do not drink and those who drink excessively. Research indicates that moderate alcohol consumers have fewer heart attacks and strokes and have less incidence of conditions such as high blood pressure, peripheral artery disease, cognitive disorders such Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, kidney stones, digestive ailments, stress and depression, hepatitis A, pancreatic cancer, gallstones, liver disease, etc. The list goes on.

Here’s what your favorite beverage can do for you. Remember, moderation is the key.

Beer:

Heart Disease: In 1999, the University of Texas at Dallas reported that those who drink moderate amounts of alcohol are less likely to suffer from coronary heart disease by 30-40%, compared to those who don’t drink at all.

Vitamin B6: Beer provides a 30% increase in vitamin B6 into the blood plasma — something that neither wine nor any other liquor can do – which prevents the build-up of the amino acid homocysteine. People with high levels of homocysteine are usually more prone to an early onset of heart and vascular disease.

Stroke: In November of 1999, The New England Journal of Medicine stated that those who drank beer moderately were 20 % less likely to suffer a stroke.

Bones: Research at King’s College and St Thomas’s Hospital in London because beer is one of the richest sources of silicon, one pint a day supplies a person with 20% of the average daily intake of silicon, which may be one of the most effective ways for young people to help keep their bones strong

Relaxation: Beer has a relaxing effect on the body, resulting in less stress and better sleep patterns.

Elderly: It has been proven that beer helps promote blood vessel dilation, sleep, and urination, particularly among the elderly.

Vodka

Disinfectant: Doctor Valery Myakin, head doctor in Moscow’s Narkolog rehabilitation center, says vodka can be used as a disinfectant, since it is essentially diluted alcohol. He says that when doctors or medical supplies are not within reach, vodka might be a more readily available alternative to treat a wound.

Fever: Since alcohol evaporates faster than water, a fever could be reduced by rubbing vodka onto one’s body.

Blood Vessels: Doctor Myakin said that up to 50 grams of vodka a day can actually be beneficial: “Small amounts of quality vodka can help prevent atherosclerosis,” he said. Atherosclerosis is a disease that affects our arterial blood vessels.