Beer & Your Health

Don't attempt to accomplish that in one day.

Good luck.

 

Or this happens

 

Ha! It'll probly be a month or more since many of them are in variety packs. Plus the other activities in my life that do not involve beer drinking.

 

I didn't have any immediate health scares but could definitely tell I was overdoing it through COVID (when I joined this site). My blood pressure and cholesterol were in a rough spot between the beer/rum and the mediocre diet. I've cut it down to about 1 lager every 3 weeks (rum is 95% used for making drinks for others now) over the course of 2024. I didn't replace alcohol with weed but weed helped ween off my more problematic alcohol use i.e. drinking to have fun. That and eating less red meat/junk has helped tremendously, even if I occasionally overdo it.

I still like to interact on here and will likely have 1 beer a week during Oktoberfest season. But I've found cutting way back has been tremendously beneficial long-term and there's not really a downside.

 

There's a debate here in Quebec at least about what it means to "drink with moderation" which is a campaign of our liquor company related to the Canadian government (SAQ) to refuse to scare people into buying their product by saying that 2 beers a day is normal. I think it's too much to drink 14 beers in a week. I couldn't do that and hope to stay healthy.

 

I think there are two mechanisms to how beer detrimentally affects our health.
The first is liver damage which is well known. As antedotally pointed out this affects folks differently. Some people are more prown to cirrhosis, hepatocellular, and pancreatic carcinoma while others seem somewhat invincible to it despite drinking high amounts.

The second is carbs, calories, and beer being a high glycemic food. This may play a larger role than we think. There is little nutritional value in beer so the beer combined with a carb or sugar rich meal adds more sugar, inflammation and an insulin spike. Exercise, weight, and diet play a big role. Also intoxication inhibits the appetite regulation cycle so after consuming large amounts of beer we are even more likely to indulge in carbs and sweets. We are also learning that obesity is a predisposition to cirrhosis via NASH (or whatever they call it now). There may be some connection between the two mechanisms we don't fully understand yet.

So yes, cutting back on beer is often a healthy endeavor. However, some things may be out of our control such as genetics and predispotion to cirrhosis and cancer. I think beer may not be the primary problem for many of us. It's the diet, exercise, macronutrition. The whole picture is important.

That said, I drink quite a bit of beer, but also regulate my hydration and maconutrient intake. A high protein, low-glycemic diet otherwise with lots of exercise. Keeping regular doctor visits to make sure everything is in good shape. Not perfect, but I think the relationship to beer and health is complex and not fully understood.

 

This is my demon

So much so that i just switched my gym program to a slight variation of this 7 week beast which adds conditioning.

 

I would like to drink from lunch until I go to bed most every day. I don't do that because I want to control my fatness somewhat. I've had slightly elevated cholesterol and liver enzymes for years. It would take pain or a big rise in those values to make me stop.

 

I don't feel any hunger to drink more than 2 beers on weekends, because I realized that my appetite for food diminishes with only 1 drink and I would choose food over beer anytime. The paradox is that if you take your beer before eating, it seems to open your appetite for food, and it's only after eating that you feel you have taken too many calories...

 

I had started a thread several years ago raising concerns about how some members seem to have obvious alcohol dependency issues and it was eventually shut down because "This site is about drinking beer". Really unfortunate as I feel I'm someone who can contribute/help to those that need it. It's pretty much impossible to be healthy while drinking several beers daily - though there are folks here that try to justify it or look for approval.

 

I think we can assume that the slogan of this site, Respect Beer, includes being aware of the negatives to consuming it too often. It isn't like there aren't plenty of resources on line for folks concerned about possible dependency and/or health effects.

I will be completely honest to say that if I made the decisions of this site, I likely wouldn't allow as much discussion of this nature as has been allowed the last few years. I think I'd let there be an annual Dry January thread and that would be it. And this from someone for whom beer consumption was a major causative factor of my health problems. At the end of the day this is a beer drinking site. Just my .02

 

Good buddy of mine had fatty liver issues. He was never a heavy drinker, just the occasional beer after work or on the weekend. Did a dry month and his numbers are much better now.

 

Oddly enough, the only thing that improved substantially by cutting back on beer and increasing exercise was cholesterol! It was sky high during COVID lockdowns and since starting to powerlift with some cardio and cutting back on beer, it's back to borderline levels which is where it's always been (runs in the family so doc says borderine is fine).

 

This is an unfortunate take. I don't think these threads come up too often. Especially coming from you who honestly has been very helpful/insightful over the years sharing your story with the rest of us.

I've been into craft for 25+ years, I know first hand it can be quite a balancing act enjoying what this hobby has to offer while maintaining good health, especially as I get older. I like chiming in and hearing from others when these threads pop up, while at the same time enjoying the fun/educational threads that make up the majority of this site.

 

I wouldn't limit discussion of it in other contexts, but in terms of "beer and your health" official threads on Beer Talk, I'd probably limit that to a Dry January thread and feel that was enough healthy choice education and motivation for folks on a site whose goal is to get people to drink beer. Just my .02

 

Another option might be to have a special area of the site where these threads are stored. The real-world, honest, unvarnished truth BAs share in navigating the negative health effects of alcohol absolutely has a place on this site—who knows, threads like this one may have extended some lives (I hate the phrase “saved lives,” because, let’s face it, no life is ever truly saved).

So this shared information is valuable, and there is a place for it here. But at the same time, it’s not like any truly new information ever emerges in these threads—people share their anecdotes, rinse, repeat. And you’re right, there are plenty of other resources out there. But I think hearing this from folks who are somewhat in the same boat adds an important dimension. Do I want to be told drinking is unhealthy by someone who has never had a taste of this sweet, sweet nectar? Not especially. It holds more weight coming from folks who understand how special beer can be but also the potential tradeoffs it represents.