Drink Up! Studies Show Beer Has Some Health Benefits

This probably goes without saying, but I like beer. I don't drink it everyday nor can my body recuperate from a long Friday or Saturday night of drinking more than my fair share like it could say 5-10 years ago. But now it turns out, not only will it calm your nerves or make you think that you're the most hilarious person in the room (depending on how much you decide to "enjoy"), it may help you live longer.

Lisa Collier Cool of Yahoo! Health has posted a list of 10 health benefits that beer provides based on several studies by collegiate research departments. Cool is quick to point out that like anything else that tastes good and is good for you, moderation is key (like one 12-ounce serving per day). Too much of your favorite brand of liquid gold can lead to liver and heart problems as well as increased risk for certain cancers, but let's not focus on that because like spilling beer, that would be a total party foul.

One of the health benefits Cool points out is how beer is believed to lead to a stronger heart. Citing a Harvard report based on more than 100 studies, a beer or two a day raises the level of HDL, the "good" cholesterol which keeps arteries from clogging and has been shown to reduce the risk of death from heart attack or cardiovascular disease by 25-40 percent.

Beer may also help you remember who your family members are when you start getting to be grandma and grandpa's age. Cool cites a 2005 study of 11,000 older women showing an average of one beer per day lower their risk of mental decline by 20 percent essentially keeping Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia from setting in.

Finally, beer may ultimately help you live longer. Citing a 2005 study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) of 50 different studies, moderate beer drinking prevents nearly 26,000 deaths per year based on the health benefits it's been proven to provide.

Check out Cool's report on Yahoo! Health to see the rest of beer's health benefits, and next time you see a guy with a "beer gut", don't laugh. He might live longer than you.

[Source: Yahoo! Health]