Beer can improve cardiovascular health in obese adults - La Provincia

The teacher Lina Badimon, Director of the Cardiovascular Program –ICCC of the IR-Hospital of Santa Cruz and Sant Pau in Barcelona and member of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, gives a presentation at the 32nd Catalan Conference on Arterial Hypertension and 26th Meeting of the Catalan Society of Arterial Hypertension and Vascular Risk (JCHTA 2019), held today in Barcelona. In it, the expert talks about the benefit of moderate consumption of fermented beverages and its effect on the cardiovascular health.

According to the study published in the scientific journal Nutrients "Moderate beer consumption and cardiovascular health in overweight people" 2, of which the specialist has been the project leader, the intake of beer not only helps reduce the traditional factors of cardiovascular risk, but also have direct protective effects on the blood vessels.

In his speech, Prof. Badimon, points out that "moderate beer consumption could be associated with positive effects on the function of HDL (good cholesterol), which increase their ability to protect against the oxidation of LDL (bad cholesterol) , and improve the reverse transport of cholesterol that can prevent the deposition of lipids in the blood vessel wall. " In addition, Prof. Badimon explained that "the study provides evidence that the intake of non-alcoholic or traditional beer in moderate quantities during the period studied, does not modify or only induces minimal changes within the range of clinical normality in plasma biomarkers of the liver and kidney function. "
This study was carried out with a longitudinal cross-over design, that is, the participating subjects were divided into two groups that consumed traditional beer for four weeks and subsequently, alcohol-free beer or vice versa. That is, all subjects consumed the two types of beer in different periods and showed no changes in blood pressure or heart rate, contrary to what happens with excessive alcohol consumption.

Also, according to the study, in the overweight population with a functional endothelium, after moderate beer intake (traditional and non-alcoholic), there are no alterations in the body mass index, in the endothelial function or in the degree of vascular stiffness, nor in markers of systemic inflammation. On the contrary, it is observed that this intake could increase HDL cholesterol and reduce oxidative stress damage at the systemic level.

Likewise, the intake of this fermented beverage has no harmful vascular effects, nor does it increase the body weight of obese individuals, "during the study, there were no significant changes in body weight, BMI or waist circumference of the population studied. "Dr. Badimón wanted to highlight, emphasizing that in our country more than 60% of the population is overweight (40% overweight and 22% obese), and the Catalans have one of the lowest rates of obesity from all over Spain, with an average of 15.5% of its population.

In addition, neither glucose levels nor any hematological parameters were modified. "The results have concluded that daily, but moderate beer intake during an eight-week intervention study does not produce significant changes in liver or kidney function, nor does it affect body weight, plasma glucose or blood pressure pattern beyond the normal range in healthy sujeros despite being overweight or obese, "concluded the expert.
Finally, Prof Lina Badimon highlights the importance of the consumption pattern of fermented beverages, stating that, if consumed, it is necessary to follow a moderate consumption pattern, always accompanied by food. On the contrary, an irregular and excessive consumption of alcohol would have negative effects on health. He also notes that moderate beer consumption consists of the intake of between one and two reeds a day in the case of women (no more than 20 grams of alcohol) and between two and three reeds for men (no more than 30 grams)

Beer and Health Information Center

Since its founding in 1998, the Beer and Health Information Center (CICS), a scientific entity that promotes research on the nutritional properties of moderate beer consumption and its relationship with health, has wanted to respond to the existing information demand in our country around this beverage supporting all those initiatives related to its research and providing health professionals and society with objective and proven information, under the supervision of medical, dietary and nutrition professionals that make up the Scientific Committee of this entity.