Beer: Power Lunch Of The Future?

"Wait a minute!!! You mean to tell me that drinking beer may be healthy for me?" exclaimed college sophomore Seth Andreas. "All this time, I thought beer was bad for me! I can't wait to tell my parents that beer may boost my vitamin B6 level. They always claim the glass of red wine they drink each night is good for their hearts; maybe beer is even better. Yahoo!"

Seth had become interested in the use of vitamins as supplements while taking human physiology with his favorite instructor, Dr. Tee. She had made him aware that vitamins have various functions in metabolic pathways. While doing a research paper, Seth stumbled upon an article in the April 29, 2000, issue of The Lancet, a well-respected medical journal. The article described the research of Henk Hendriks and colleagues at the TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute in Zeist, Germany. In a three-week trial, these researchers found that vitamin B6 blood concentrations rose 15% and 17% in wine and gin consumers, respectively, and a whopping 30% in beer drinkers.

Seth continued his research into beer and nutrition and found another study in a 2001 issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Although the experimental design was different from that used in the previous study (diet was not factored in), the results also showed that drinking beer led to increased vitamin B6 levels. In addition, several beer companies’ websites report that 2 pints of beer provide 35% of the daily requirement of vitamin B6, 20% of vitamin B2, and 65% of niacin.

Seth wondered if he should start having lunch at the local brewpub from now on and skip his usual power lunch at the Smoothie Prince.

Questions

Many media journalists take reports such as the one that Seth read out of context and report findings prematurely. Does the fact that the evidence about beer was reported in prestigious medical journals change your mind about beer drinking?
Are there any known side effects of beer that might offset its healthier attributes? Discuss these.

Assignment

Conduct further research about both vitamins and alcoholic beverages. What in particular does vitamin B6 do in metabolism? How could increased levels of vitamin B6 make you "healthier”? What is beer made from? Is there any relationship between the ingredients in beer and its reported effect on the levels of vitamins in the body?

References

Mayer Jr., O., J. Simon, and H. Rosolova. 2001. A population study of the influence of beer consumption on folate and homocysteine concentrations. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 55(7).

Seppa, Nathan. 2000. A hint at a healthful effect of beer. Science News. Vol. 157: 317.

Van de Gaag, M., J. B. Ubbink, P. Sillanaukee, S. Nikkari, and H. Hendriks. 2000. Effect of consumption of red wine, spirits, and beer on homocysteine. The Lancet, 355.

http://www.gmodelo.com.mx/eng/historia/cultura.html

http://bavarianbrewerytech.com/news/guess.htm