We are not surprised that beer is your favorite drink, it is surely the most popular in the world. Taking once in a while is fine for some people, and there's even research to suggest it has health benefits. However, there is also research to suggest that any alcoholic beverage should be avoided, even in small amounts.
To be clear, moderate drinking is currently defined as no more than two drinks per day for men and one per day for women. Even so, we know that drinking beer every day is not recommended. Below we analyze the effects it has on the body and if it is worth continuing to maintain this habit.
4 effects of drinking a beer every day
You could gain weight
A beer has about 150 calories . That's assuming you choose one with less alcohol by volume.
The calories in alcohol are slightly different from those of common macronutrients (carbohydrates: 4 calories / gr; protein: 4 calories / gr; fat: 9 calories / gr). Alcohol is right in the middle, about 7 calories per gram . As the percentage of alcohol in beer increases, so does the calorie count.
If you like to drink beers below the recommendation and choose one of 150 calories or less, your weight will be minimally affected. In fact, drinking in moderation as part of an already healthy lifestyle (aka: healthy diet and regular physical activity) doesn't make it a destination for weight gain.
But drinking two, three, or more could add more than 300 calories to your diet, and that has the potential to affect the number on the scale in as little as one month.
Additionally, drinking alcohol can decrease your ability to feel full with a meal, stimulate your appetite, and activate food reward centers in the brain, according to November 2017 research in Obesity.
Your kidneys can suffer
The kidneys clean the blood and act as the filter for tap water. Alcohol needs to be filtered, and drinking too much can put you at risk for hypertension, and this can increase your risk for kidney disease.
Beer is also a diuretic , which means it could be putting extra pressure on your kidneys if you overindulge. Staying within the recommendations probably won't dehydrate you, but you can lose extra sodium and potassium (electrolytes). An electrolyte deficiency from dehydration can lead to muscle cramps, weakness, or fatigue .
Drinking beer with alcohol may affect your electrolyte balance, but this is not the case without alcoholic or L, according to research published in June 2016 Nutrients.
You put your cardiovascular health in danger
There is no question that heavy drinking damages the heart significantly. It puts you at risk for high blood pressure , type 2 diabetes , atrial fibrillation, and stroke, and it's certainly bad for your heart, according to a January 2020 review in Nutrients. These conditions occur throughout life of drinking and vary depending on the amount of alcohol consumed.
This review indicated that drinking patterns are important, meaning that heavy drinking once or twice a week increases the risk of heart damage , even if the amount is equal to someone who drinks the same amount over a period of one week. . This is most likely due to the increased risk of high blood pressure from heavy drinking.
Drinking moderate amounts of beer does not have the same effect. The review concludes that a low beer intake, not exceeding the recommended amounts, is safe and perhaps even beneficial for the cardiovascular system.
In the 2018 Nutrients study, the authors found a protective effect of beer, related to the prevention of LDL (bad cholesterol) oxidation through the antioxidant capacity of HDL cholesterol. They found these benefits in both traditional alcohol-containing and non-alcoholic beer, suggesting that polyphenols may help explain some of the benefits.
There is a cognitive decline
Drinking beer, and alcohol in general, has been extensively studied in the fight against cognitive decline in older adults.
In a study of 360 older adults followed for 19 years, researchers found that those who drank more hard liquor , but not beer or wine, were at risk for a faster rate of cognitive decline, according to 2016 research in Current Alzheimer Research .
Beer, especially beer that is high in hops (like an IPA ), may be a better option for brain health. Beer contains antioxidants , but hops can help reduce neuro-inflammation and cognitive decline, according to a July 2019 research in Nutrients. Hops are what give beer its bitterness, and the more hops, the more bitter it will be.
However, a 2017 study in the UK did not find the same results: Researchers noted that heavy drinking increased the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease , but found no protective effect on cognition from drinking low amounts of alcohol. Therefore, more research is needed to conclude whether light alcohol consumption confers benefits for brain health.
