A beer per day may keep heart disease at bay, according to new research presented this week at the American Cancer society's 2000 International Chemical Congress of Pacific Basin Societies in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Previous research has shown similar health benefits from antioxidants in wine for promoting heart health. In this study, researchers specifically evaluated the antioxidant activity of ingredients in beer that might reduce the risk of heart disease. They compared different types of beers including porter or ales (the darker colored beers) and lagers (the paler brews). They found that while porters may contain much more antioxidants than lagers, lager beers were better absorbed than porter beers in animal models.

"There seems to be something in beer, not alcohol, that is beneficial," says Joe Vinson, PhD, lead researcher of the presentation on beer and heart disease, professor in the department of chemistry at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. "It significantly inhibited atherosclerosis and reduced the risk by 60 percent."

Researchers conducted the experiment in hamsters and fed the animals a high-fat and high-cholesterol diet. Researchers gave the hamsters two kinds of beer, the porter and the lager at two different doses. One is diluted in half, and the other was diluted by ten-fold--the human equivalent of 8-ounces a day.

"We controlled for alcohol, and found no difference between the lager or the porter for atherosclerosis," says Vison. "The benefit is purely from antioxidants in beers. Lager is well absorbed and superior at a human equivalent dose, i.e. an 8-ounce beer a day."

According to researchers, one possible mechanism that beer works is through its antioxidant activity, not by lowering lipids, which is the way most drugs work. The beer inhibited the oxidation of the so-called bad cholesterol, or LDL, at the starting point of atherosclerosis. "Beer works by preventing the LDL from being oxidized, therefore, preventing the beginning of athersclerosis," says Vison. "One lager beer per day may be beneficial. It is another source of antioxidants to add to the pools that we get from foods."

But researchers point out that more is not known about beer is more than what is known. More research is needed to understand the mechanism of beer and its health benefits.

John Finley, PhD, associate editor of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in Washington D.C., says that the study not only confirmed previous findings but also provides further evidence that drinking beer in moderation can be heart healthy.

"There are a number of antioxidants from ingredients in beer including barley, malt and hops--used to add to the bitter flavor, and they help prevent plaque formations in the arteries," says Finley.

But Finley cautions that excessive beer drinking won't get the beneficial effect. "The key is drinking in moderation," says Finley.

(From MedScape)