Beer and health

Is beer appropriate for sportsmen and women?

Sportsmen and women can also drink non-alcoholic beer. Beer is essentially an isotonic beverage, with roughly the same osmotic pressure as blood, and also provides "quick calories" - it can supplement energy after a sports performance. Beer enables the highly effective exchange of substances - the substances contained are used easily and quickly in the organism without secondary transformations. It's also easily digestible and is an important source of vitamins. Beer also contains a large volume of ion potassium, magnesium, phosphorus and other trace elements, which means it can be regarded as an ion drink.

Does beer contain vitamins? If so, what sort?

Yes, it contains vitamin B and folic acid, which are present in all beer. One litre of beer provides the following average vitamin intake:

Vitamin B1 - thiamin (3 % of daily requirement)	- breaks down saccharoids in tissues, which means it provides the body with energy, also important for growth, digestion and nerve activity
Vitamin B2 - riboflavin (20 % of daily requirement)	- is a prosthetic group of oxidation reduction enzymes important for the organism.
Niacin (45 % of daily requirement)	- plays an important role in nourishing the cells. Helps release energy from fat and saccharoids and storing bodily energy. It's part of two coenzymes, helps synthesise body fat and cholesterol.
Vitamin B6 - pyridoxin (31 % of daily requirement)	- plays an important role in the metabolism and the absorption of proteins, regulates the role of fat and saccharoids, aids the proper functioning of the nervous system and the creation of red blood cells.
Folic acid (52 % of daily requirement)	- is the basic vitamin which supports the creation of red blood corpuscles, metabolism of amino-acids and the renewal of all cells in the body.

How much do Czechs drink?

The Czech Republic holds the leading position in beer drinking. With consumption of about 160 litres / person / year it is the biggest in the world. In the Czech Republic, about 75 percent of men and 30 percent of women drink beer.

Does beer make you fat?

Beer contains bitter hop substances that act as a calming influence on people and also assist the secretion of bile, which is helpful for digestion. Someone who is calm and satisfied also enjoys and digests food better. Beer also stimulates the appetite. This results in a greater intake of food, which leads to greater body mass. Beer itself doesn't make you fatter, it's the excessive intake of other foodstuffs that puts on weight. According to research, the risk of excessive weight is lower for moderate drinkers than for teetotallers or heavy drinkers. Beer contains 400 to 500 kilo-calories per litre, fewer than in apple juice, milk or cola, for example.

What is the source of beer's energy value?

Beer is a nutritious drink due to saccharoids (10 % of daily consumption in 1 l = about 400 - 500 kcal in 1 l), vitamins, proteins, flavins and a high volume of minerals, particularly magnesium.

What is beer's relation to people's health and what does beer contain?

Beer contains many vitamins and other substances which, if consumed moderately, can help prevent arteriosclerosis. Consumption of 1 litre of beer a day cover's roughly 20 percent of a person's vitamin B6 requirement, 50 percent of niacin and 25 percent of pantothen acid. One litre of beer contains on average 200 mg of biologically active substances. Moderate beer drinking of up to one or two litres daily helps raise the high density level (HDL) of cholesterol in the blood, which helps prevent the hardening of arteries, while leaving the overall level of cholesterol in the blood unchanged. Moderate beer consumption reduces stress, helps blood circulation, reduces the risk of heart disease and reduces high blood pressure. Beer is a drink that contains a low amount of alcohol (0.5 - 5 %). Beer is intended to be drunk for its taste, for enjoyment and for better digestion, and not in order to get drunk. Moderate beer drinking means you can enjoy its positive effects on the organism and not suffer the negative effects of excessive consumption.

When can I drive a car after drinking 1, 2, 3... beers?

Only when you are completely sober, i.e. when there is no more alcohol in your body. Our law stipulates a zero limit for alcohol in the blood when driving motor vehicles. For drivers we produce the non-alcoholic beer Radegast Birell. The time taken to break down alcohol in the body depends on the individual and many other things. In addition to gender and body mass a person's state of health, degree of tiredness and other factors must also be taken into account. That's why only an approximate estimate can be given as to when the alcohol level falls to 0.0 percent. The time when you can sit behind the wheel also depends on the speed at which you've drunk the beer. Whether over half an hour or two hours. Only an alcohol test can ascertain the exact time. The stronger the person the longer it takes for the body to break down the alcohol.

Does beer contain the hormone oestrogen? If so, what volume of this female hormone does beer contain?

Beer commonly contains substances similar to hormones. These are called isoflavins, which have mild oestrogen effects. Their effect on the human organism is still being studied. They are thought to increase or potentise this type of human hormones, which play an important role in the metabolism, particularly for women after the menopause, i.e., to a certain degree to prevent ostheoporosis - the decalcification of the bones. Their concentration is extremely low - for Pilsner Urquell, for example, the sum of these substances is about 20 nmol/l. Other Czech lagers have a far lower concentration of around 5 nmol/l.

How does the body break down alcohol? How quickly?

About one-fifth of the alcohol is absorbed in the stomach, the rest in the intestines. It appears in the blood just five minutes after being drunk. Ethyl alcohol dissolves into acetaldehyde, which the liver transforms into acetic acid. By a complex process this transforms into water and carbon dioxide in the tissues. This process expels about 90 percent of alcohol from the body, with about 3 percent being expelled in urine and 7 percent by the lungs - breath, and the least amount through the skin. It takes about 10 to 12 hours for the body to dispose of alcohol, although sometimes as much as 24 hours.

Can pregnant women drink beer?

Doctors don't recommend it. The harm that alcohol can do to the foetus was discovered recently. Drinking more than two glass of beer a day (more than half a litre) increases the likelihood of defects to the foetus such as a hare-lip, heart defects, abnormal development of the limbs, low intelligence and low birth weight. If you want to drink beer, try non-alcoholic Radegast Birell instead. This refreshes the organism and doesn't affect your mind or endanger your future baby. It should however be consumed in moderation, as even Radegast Birell also contains a small amount of alcohol.

  Printable version   |    E-mail this to a friend   |    Subscribe to RSS feeds