Beer & Your Health

Yes. This process will leave you baffled at how much the medical industry charges for knowing next to nothing about the human body. It will also make you wonder what the medical studies in 100 years will have shown from the 2010s in regards to health effects of excessively hopped (and with boutique designed strains of hops) beers and loading pastry stouts up like a bottle of chocolate sauce.

Hope your results are good.

 

5 years ago I had a blood test that made me worry because my blood sugar level was on the limit of diabetes. I only drink moderately on weekends, but I was drinking beers of high alcohol volume. (8%) Since then I cut down on this and had better results in my blood test. I don't know how people can drink every day without any serious effect on their health.

 

Yes, my brother is a long-time alcoholic and he never goes to the doctor. And when I go they discover something, but I have to say that he has secondary effects that I don't have.

 

My ALT numbers were elevated several years ago and I was diagnosed with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. I went through the ultrasound (I still remember how goddamn quiet the technician was through the whole process, which made me nervous) and was basically given guidance to eat less/healthier and reduce or stop alcohol consumption. No magic bullets, just be more conscious of my habits. After I got my shit together (I never totally stoped drinking beer but I did cut back) I lost a bunch of weight and my ALT numbers dropped surprisingly quickly. Of course some of that weight has crept back—I blame COVID—and as of my last blood test almost a year ago my numbers were as low as any point in the last 10 years. So the way I look at it is, I now know to watch this and to be more careful about what I’m consuming, but I also don’t let it freak me out. Thankfully for me it was pretty easy to get things under control.

 

I found out that I have hereditary Hemochromatosis (iron overload disease) a few months back. It causes ferritin to build up excessively in your liver and can lead to all kinds of problems including cirrhosis.

After a couple of blood draws, my numbers dropped down into the normal range and I started drinking again. I have been avoiding beef, beans, enriched bread, etc. due to the high iron content in those foods.

Stay healthy everyone!

 

I’ve heard that NA beers can be helpful to folks who are cutting back. Beer drinking can become ritualized very easily and the NA beer can sometimes be a good substitute in the ritual. You may wish to explore some. There seems to be many NA options these days.

Side note, and this is not directed at the OP, but it’s worth mentioning once more: I really wish BA had a sub forum for people who are cutting back on alcohol, attempting to abstain for a period of time, questioning whether they have an addiction, and/or seeking treatment.

As I’ve said before, the fact that we are a community makes member-to-member recommendations all the more meaningful and likely to be absorbed by the person seeking the information. The right person, with the right advice, at the right time, can make a difference when it comes to addiction.

 

Everybody has different issues. Typically, an alcohol intake the equivalent of about two, possibly three 5%, 12 oz. beers a day for a midsized adult isn't too detrimental. . Back in the 70s, a six percent beer was pretty strong, and a lot of AALs were about 4.5%. But it was still possible to overdo it. Nowadays you could easily blow through the recommendations if you're drinking quantities of imperial IPA. I like the option of having two or three, so I lean toward moderate alcohol.

 

Something like 20% of Americans have NAFLD, or whatever it’s called now. Which is not to say it shouldn’t be taken seriously—but I guess I’d rather have that kind of wake-up call than a heart attack or stroke. Again, I was pretty shocked how quickly those numbers came down after I just lost a few pounds. I can’t and wouldn’t give someone else medical advice, but in my case it turned out to be a lot less scary than I’d originally feared.

 

The problem with this is they aren’t necessarily better for you. They contain a lot of sugar to make up the flavor. If this is a fatty liver issue, switching to N/A isn’t going to solve the issue as the excess sugar is still going to tax the liver.

This also sounds like more of a diet issue as OP said he was eating poorly as well. Everything balanced and in moderation helps.

 

I think this is a great recommendation. I would certainly participate.

 

N/A and reduced alcohol beers don't contain "sugar" in the sense used for health impact (look at the analyses). Dietary sugars are the simple sugars that are easily digested, and can immediately spike blood sugar. All beer contains complex sugars that generally are more slowly digested, and have a less intense blood sugar influence. These complex sugars are indirectly indicated by the calorie count. You can roughly estimate the complex sugar load by subtracting the calories due to alcohol from the total calories.

 

I would think drinking moderation is the key.

 

I've mentioned this once , but was shut down

I mentioned there should be numbers for Alcoholism Centers/Support Websites etc. etc. the way Gambling websites have info for folks needing help .

Was told this is a website about DRINKING MORE BEER