Beer

"Quoted from http://nutrition.about.com/od/hydrationwater/a/beer_Nutrition.htm"

Drinking heavily leads to liver damage, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, pancreatic diseases, severe thiamin deficiency and some cancers.

Nutrition Information

According to Michael Jackson, the Beer Hunter, Trappist monks drank beer to sustain themselves during their Lenten fasts. They called their beer "liquid bread."

We don't tend to think much about the nutritional aspects of beer, but according to the USDA National Nutrient Database, one 12-ounce serving of regular beer has the following nutrients:

• Calories: 153
• Protein: 1.64 g
• Carbohydrates: 12.64 g
• Calcium: 14 mg
• Magnesium: 21 mg
• Phosphorus: 50 mg
• Potassium: 96 mg
• Sodium: 14 mg
• Zinc: 0.04 mg
• Thiamin: 0.018 mg
• Riboflavin: 0.089 mg
• Niacin: 1.826 mg
• Pantothenic Acid: 0.146 mg
• Vitamin B6: 0.164 mg

Beer is actually a good source of folate, niacin, magnesium, potassium and niacin.

Drinking Too Much

While drinking one beer per day may improve your health, heavy drinking will not. In fact heavy drinking has the opposite effect. Heavy drinking is defined as more than 21 drinks per week for women and more than 35 drinks per week for men. Drinking heavily leads to liver damage, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, pancreatic diseases, severe thiamin deficiency and some cancers.

Who Shouldn't Drink Beer?

Beer drinking isn't for every one. Some people have personal or religious reasons for not drinking beer or other alcoholic drinks. That's OK. All of the health benefits of beer can be found in other foods beverages. The following people should not drink beer, or should speak with their doctor before drinking beer or other alcoholic beverages:

• Pregnant or breast-feeding women should not drink beer. Even small amounts of alcohol can damage a developing fetus.
• People with alcoholism or drug addictions should not drink beer.
• Young people. In the United States the drinking age is 21, in Canada the drinking age is 18 or 19. Other countries vary.
• People with liver, pancreatic diseases, or really, any type of chronic disease should speak with their doctor.
• People with gout should avoid beer. Gout is very painful and is triggered by alcohol.
• Diabetics should speak with their doctor.
• People taking any type of medications should speak with their doctor. This includes over-the-counter medications.