Moderation in consumption: Key to healthy living

Nutritionists and scientists agree that moderation in food and drink consumption  is key to life and living. It was a German physician of the 16th century who  said: “Whether wine is a nourishment, medicine or poison… it is a matter of dosage. The same applies to Beer!”  But despite the fact that millions of beer consumers enjoy the alcoholic  beverage responsibly, all over the world,  there are others who misuse or abuse it. They, as a result, create social problems for themselves and others, most of which are in turn, blamed on the beverage.

It is obviously not for nothing that Board of the Brewers of Europe embarked on a  campaign to promote responsible consumption in a meaningful way and build the image. Their  colleagues in Government & Public Affairs have also developed a comprehensive information pack for the national Brewers’ Associations in Europe. The objective of the information pack is to facilitate discussions at national Brewers’ Association level, on a communications program towards sustainable category growth and engage participants in a discussion around what’s happening about responsible drinking.

Beer is an alcoholic beverage that carries a lot of benefits and myths. Interestingly, scientists have found that moderate drinkers who drink regularly but only in small amounts had lower body weights than their non-drinking peers and those who drank a lot at once.

There are at least two ways in which an alcoholic beverage such as beer might impact beneficially on the body:

First, through a direct physiological impact on bodily tissues and functions;  Second, through indirect impact, but founded equally on a physiological interaction

All the benefits of beer are however,  functions of moderate consumption. These  include: Reduce risk of developing and dying from heart disease or possibly reduce the risk; Possibly reduce risk of ischemic stroke (when the arteries to your brain become narrowed or blocked, causing severely reduced risk of diabetes.  Scientists agree that the mellowing influence that moderate consumption of alcohol has, with its calming and relaxing impact, will of itself have a sparing effect on stress-related illnesses.

A look at the components of beer also reveals a lot: Beer is about 90-92% water, so it supports hydration.  Malted barley is the soul of beer, so it provides aroma and bitter flavors, so it serves as a venutrients similar to that from cereal.

Hops add spicy and very rich source of micronutrients and phytonutrients. Yeast changes sugars into alcohol, thereby affecting the glycaemic index positively. Corn and other adjuncts give beer a milder and lighter-bodied flavor, so contributing to source of interest.

Research on the fermentation process that results in the creation of beer has revealed that a number of the vitamins and antioxidants preset in these ingredients survive the process and are absorbed by your body every time you have a drink. As such, beer is a healthy source of fiber, minerals, vitamins and antioxidants.

Prevention measures are however growing to reduce alcohol abuse and its consequences. Such measures include policies regulating alcohol-related behaviour on the one hand and community and educational interventions seeking to influence drinking behaviour on the other. There has also been an increasing global and local responsibility campaign to push healthy drinking lifestyle.