As if We Really Need Another Reason . . .

Next time some health freak is giving you shit for drinking beer, just tell them you're trying to be healthy.

Rich in Vitamins and Good for the Nerves
Beer is rich in important vitamins - most are delivered to you by the beer's yeast. Vitamins B1, B2, and B6 and H contained in beer are food for the nerves: They improve your ability to concentrate, support the production of red blood cells, have a positive effect on your blood circulation and stimulate your metabolism.

Minerals for the Metabolism
A scientific study undertaken at the Technical University of Munich concluded that the collection of minerals and trace elements in beer have a favorable effect on nerves and muscle strength, electrolyte usage, enzyme activation and hormone levels. In addition, iron and copper help blood production, phosphorus supports metabolism and magnesium strengthens the heart muscle. Zinc is necessary for your pancreas' production of insulin and fluoride protects your teeth from cavities. Finally, Maganese also helps in the production of beer's Vitamin B, which is very valuable to the human body.

Beer helps you relax
A hectic lifestyle, stress or problems with your job or family often lead to nervousness and sleeping problems-your blood pressure rises. A glass of beer before going to bed is the "best medicine" against all of that: The hops in beer (with all four important B vitamins) have a calming effect on exhausted nerves and relax your muscles. The small amount of alcohol (4.5 to 5.5%) and the carbonation relax your body. The commentary of the Munich study concludes: "The life expectancy of people who drink beer in moderation is longer than of people who abstain."

The calorie count rises...
Beer is comparably a low-calorie drink. A twelve ounce glass of beer has about 160 calories; only mineral water, coffee and tea (without milk or sugar), skim and butter milk have fewer calories than beer. "Hard drinks", wine, champagne and liqueurs as well as fruit, lemonade and whole milk do not. Additionally, beer, because it has practically no sodium, promotes tissue drainage and sodium expulsion.

Beer gives you momentum
Beer is healthy-sport medicine specialists have also recognized that fact and have drawn uses from it. One example is the two Italian sport doctors Antonelli and Romano who came to the conclusion that a liter of beer a day increases performance, concentration and reaction and strengthens muscles. The American cardiologist Sheehan maintains that after long distance running, jogging, cross country skiing or marathons, beer ideally replaces bodily fluids and energy. The French doctor Gulpin discovered decades ago that beer increases lung capacity and speeds the lung's ability to process oxygen.

Beer in old Age
Doctors and geriatricians have recognized that beer - in addition to all of the previously mentioned health effects - works against the possible breakdown of the aging human body. Also noteworthy is beer's sociological aspects: Beer is cheerful, makes one sociable and makes it easier to make contact and win new friends. In an opinion poll of German general practitioners, 81% were convinced that one or two beers a day could "beautify" retirement.