The health benefits of drinking beer, according to actual scientific papers

If you’re a beer lover, you’re in luck: Several recent studies have found that regular beer consumption can actually be good for you.

Spanish researchers, whose analysis was published in the peer-reviewed, international journal Nutrients in July, concluded that moderate beer consumption has a multitude of health benefits, like potentially preventing diabetes in men. “Men abstainers [from beer] had a significantly higher risk of developing abnormal glucose regulation … than occasional beer drinkers, suggesting occasional beer consumption may be protective [against diabetes] in men,” the study said.

The inquiry also indicated that moderate consumption was “associated with a decreased fracture risk,” illustrating that beer consumption is associated with better bone health. That said, the researchers  believe that “non-alcoholic components of beer may also be involved” in this phenomenon, as “other compounds present in the beer,” like phytoestrogens (compounds that occur in plants) can help stimulate the cells that “improve bone structure, and help remineralize bone and teeth.”

We’ll cheers to that.Getty Images

Finally, one of the most surprising findings was that beer can actually helps lower its consumers’ cholesterol. Apparently, the antioxidants in beer boost “good” cholesterol in the body whilst simultaneously regulating the “bad.” It’s worth noting, however, that this variable in particular was only demonstrated upon the consumption of very minimal beer, approximately a half an ounce to an ounce daily.

The Spanish researchers did however recognise “a protective effect of moderate alcohol drinking on cardiovascular disease” in people who drank up to 13.5 ounces weekly — a similar finding to those of yet another recent study from BMC Medicine.

The BMC investigation, which was conducted by University College London researchers and published in July, determined that moderate alcohol consumption can be beneficial for people who suffer symptoms of cardiovascular disease — and could even possibly help prevent a heart attack. The investigation, which which is allegedly the largest to examine alcohol’s effects on people with heart problems (they followed over 14 thousand individuals over the course of 20 years), found that consuming seven to eight alcoholic beverages every week decreases the risk of having a heart attack, stroke and/or death due to cardiovascular complications.

Similarly, those who consumed 6 ounces of alcohol daily, reduced their risk by 50 percent.

We’ll cheers to that!