John Myers
Beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage in Germany: in 2014, per capita consumption was 107 liters – only the Czechs drink more. While bitter beers are preferred in northern Germany, in the south people prefer light beers or wheat beers and in the Rhineland, they prefer Kölsch and Alt. According to the Purity Law, beer still consists exclusively of the four basic ingredients water, hops, malt, and yeast.
What beer should be able to do
Hardly any other drink is said to have as many positive properties as beer. On the one hand, it should prevent kidney stones, heart attacks, and strokes. On the other hand, it should have a calming effect and make it easier to fall asleep. It is said to revitalize and cure acute states of exhaustion, promote hair growth and help with sexual reluctance. However, there are many indications that the harm and risks of alcohol outweigh the positive benefits of the active substances in beer – even with low consumption.
Hops are healthy but too diluted in beer
In addition to alcohol and carbohydrates, beer contains minerals, trace elements, and vitamins from barley and essential oils from hops. Hops belong to the hemp family. It contains valuable bitter substances and essential oils that give the beer its typical spiciness and help with loss of appetite, stomach weakness, and restlessness. Hops have a calming effect but stimulate the metabolism. And it contains anti-inflammatory flavonoids. The polyphenol xanthohumol is also considered an antioxidant and is not found in any other plant. However, these positive effects are related to hop extract. In fact, the amount of hops in beer is too small to be effective.
Lots of vitamins, not a lot of minerals
The malt in beer provides many B vitamins. In particular, the vitamins B2 (riboflavin), B6 (pyridoxine), phenolic acid, and niacin, which are important for metabolism, are present in larger quantities.
Phosphoric acid, a component of cell building blocks, is an important mineral in beer. Beer also contains potassium and magnesium, but the concentrations are too low to have a positive effect on the electrolyte balance in the blood. Due to its low sodium content, however, beer has a positive effect on blood pressure. It also has a diuretic effect. However, water and tea also have the same effect.
Not conducive to sleep
And with regard to the presumed improvement in sleep quality, the beer does worse than expected. In particular, the quality of sleep is significantly affected by alcohol content.
After all, non-alcoholic beer is a good alternative to classic sports drinks in the leisure sports sector, as it provides a lot of liquid and also minerals, and electrolytes.
