When you think of beer, what comes to mind?
Let me take a few guesses: a dive bar, a hangover, a beer belly, a damn good time.
But what if I told you your nightly pint of Sam Adams is also doing wonders for your health? As a girl who loves beer, I personally think that's some seriously good news.
Before I continue, let's get one thing out of the way. Drinking tons of beer all day every day is not great for you. It's not good for your waistline, your liver or your general wellbeing. And yes, texting your ex after one too many cans of Bud Lite is a recipe for disaster.
In moderation, though, drinking beer is actually a really good idea.
Here's why.
Beer is a great way to shake off a little stress.
Again, I am not telling you to go out into the world and get plastered because you had a rough day at work.
Kicking back and relaxing with a bottle of beer and talking about your day with your SO, on the other hand, is an awesome idea.
Studies on drinking in moderation (that's generally one drink per day for women and two for men) show a little bit of alcohol is a great way to ease tension, anxiety and make you feel more relaxed.
Make sure you don't overdo it, though: Having too many drinks can make your anxiety worse, especially when you wake up with a pounding headache the next morning.
You're doing your bones a favor when you drink beer.
Want to do your aging body a favor? Pour yourself a beer.
Yep, you really did read that right. According to a study conducted out of the University of California, beer is a source of dietary silicon, which is great for boosting bone health.
As lead researcher Charles Bamforth told Live Science,
Choose the beer you enjoy. Drink it in moderation. It is contributing silicon (and more) to your good health.
So even if you're not thinking about your aging bones quite yet, it's nice to know an impressive beer belly could also mean strong bones.
See? Silver lining!
Drinking beer might help you lose weight.
Could beer really make you skinny?! According to science, it's very possible.
In a recent study conducted out of Oregon State University, researchers gave one group of mice xanthohumol, a flavonoid found in beer, and fed them a high-fat diet. Another group of mice (the control group) was simply fed a high-fat diet.
The mice who were given xanthohumol gained 22 percent less weight than the control group. Yep, a property found in beer was keeping those mice skinny.
Of course, mice are not humans, and we still have quite a bit to learn about this concept, but it's pretty encouraging if you ask me.
Happy drinking!
