A team of biology students at Rice University are working on genetically modifying a strain of beer yeast to produce resveratrol during fermentation. Resveratrol is “a chemical in wine that’s been shown to reduce cancer and heart disease in lab animals.”

While this is infinitely better than Jessica Simpson’s “vitamin beer,” I have my doubts that a beer will be produced that truly fights cancer. I’ve seen too many news stories in which some miracle chemical has shown promise for curing/treating/augmenting/reducing such-and-such, only to have a subsequent study show the exact opposite result. Still, kudos to the Rice “BiOWLogists” (no, that’s really what they call themselves) for doing something cool with beer and science.

I have one gripe for Roland Piquepaille, who wrote a post on ZDNet about this. At the end of his first paragraph he writes, “And you will be able to choose to die from cancer or alcoholism.” Because you know everyone that drinks beer either is or will soon be an alcoholic. Would he have written this if the article was about wine or scotch? Doubtful. I’m guessing Roland is a cork-dork (wine drinker) who thinks beer drinkers are shirtless, sports-obsessed, face-painted, Neandertals. I was going to invite Beer Utopia readers to leave a comment on his post but you have to give your name, address, phone number, rank and serial number to leave a comment so it’s not worth it.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Forbes.com has a story that looks at 8 ways that medical research has shown that drinking beer can good for your health.

1. Reduced the risk of heart disease
“A 2006 study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Harvard School of Public Health found that, among men with healthy lifestyles, those who consumed moderate amounts of alcohol had a 40 to 60% reduced risk of heart attack compared with heart healthy men who abstained.”

2. Reduced the risk of stroke
“Moderate drinking also may help prevent the formation of blood clots that can block arteries in the heart, neck and brain, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.”

3. Hypertension
“A 2007 study by Dutch researchers and researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found a link between hypertensive men drinking moderate amounts of alcohol and a lower risk of fatal and non-fatal heart attacks.”

4. Diabetes
“Studies have shown that people with diabetes who drink moderately may be able to reduce their risk of coronary heart disease, their biggest killer. Research also indicates that a light drinking habit may help protect men and women from developing Type 2 diabetes. This may be a result of increased insulin sensitivity or anti-inflammatory effects.

5. Lower risk of dementia
“A 2003 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association said that adults over 65 who consume between one and six alcoholic beverages each week have a lower risk of dementia than non-drinkers and heavier drinkers.”

6. Stronger bones
“Studies have shown that beer may play a role in preventing bone loss and rebuilding bone mass in men and young women… The effect is believed to be tied to the beverage’s high silicon content.”

7. Longer life
“According to a 2005 report from the United States Department of Agriculture, the lowest risk of death appears to occur when people consume one to two drinks per day, likely a result of the protective effects against coronary heart disease and stroke.”

8. Feeling healthier
“People who drink beer, spirits, or wine tend to report fewer instances of ill health than those who abstain, according to a 2001 study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.”

Popularity: 6% [?]

File this one under Rants.

I came across an article with a provocative headline: Body builder alert: beer degrades muscles. “Oh no!” I thought. “My favorite libation could be causing me to turn into a flabby old man prematurely.” No doubt this is exactly what the author wanted me to think when I read the headline. As it turns out, this bit of alarmist copywriting is deceptive at best.

Before I continue, I should point out that this article appears on the website of a small New York college and was written, I assume, by a student. Still, it is out there on the Internet for the whole world to see and many will never read enough of the 3 page article to realize that the headline is misleading. I’m not sure what the motivation was for writing this article, and I’m not saying it was written to deliberately deceive, but it is misleading in it’s simplistic take on the effects of drinking and health.

The problem with the article is, while not patently false, it is grossly misleading. First of all, beer is singled out as a cause of muscle degradation when in fact, the culprit is alcohol. Beer contains alcohol, so does drinking a beer cause you to lose muscle mass? No. “Chronic alcoholism has also been shown to cause serious degradation of muscle cells.” There is no citation given for this statement, or any of the other claims made in the article, but I have no reason to doubt it. A quick search of Google Scholar turns up plenty of supporting studies. So the problem is not so much alcohol or beer consumption but excessive consumption.

What exactly is excessive consumption? That depends on who you ask. It seems that an average of 2 drinks a day for men and 1 for women is generally accepted as “moderate” consumption. But a universally accepted definition of “excessive” does not seem to exist. There are many factors which determine how much alcohol your body can handle including weight, age, gender, and genetics so it’s not one size fits all.

I am not advocating excessive beer consumption. I am not disputing that excessive alcohol consumption can cause health problems either. Excessive consumption of food has detrimental effects on your health but that doesn’t mean that you should stop eating. I believe that in all things, moderation is key. If you occasionally get a little exuberant in your enjoyment of beer, I doubt that is going to have serious health consequences, whether you are a body builder or not. If your exuberance is a daily occurrence, that’s a different matter.

I have no medical training so take my opinion for what it is. As a student of the School of Common Sense, however, it irks me when something as wondrous as beer is villainized through apparent sophistry. Thank you for letting me rant. I think I’ll go do some push-ups and have a beer.

Popularity: 6% [?]