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Women and men drink red wine or beer – which is healthier? Beer and red wine are said to have positive effects on health, unlike liquor. Should you take this into account when consuming alcohol in moderation?
Alcohol is not one of the health-promoting foods. But: Enjoyed in moderation, one or the other drop is supposed to have quite positive properties.
From important B vitamins to trace elements, including iron, magnesium and zinc – beer is said to contain an astonishing number of valuable nutrients. For example, the yeast and malt beverage is said to lower blood pressure and even the risk of type 2 diabetes. Red wine in particular is similarly highly praised. The French would be devilish not to have a glass with lunch – and with dinner anyway. Red wine is said to promote heart health, help with weight loss and be good for brain function, in summary: increase life expectancy. There are no such positive assumptions about schnapps or liquor. Or maybe you just have to look for it? FITBOOK.de published an interview with Uwe Knop, a graduate nutritionist and asked him which is healthier: red wine or beer?
No clear evidence that red wine increases life expectancy
“The question of whether there are healthier alcoholic beverages is not a question of knowledge, but a question of faith,” the expert explains. “And that falls into the realm of nutritional philosophy.” From a scientific point of view, his answer would be a clear no: There is no proof, for example, that a particular alcoholic beverage is supposed to be healthier.
But what about the many studies that claim to prove that red wine drinkers, for example, suffer heart attacks less often? “These are – as so often in nutrition science – correlations.” The catch with research on eating and drinking habits, he says, is that it is not possible to determine with certainty which specific food has led to a particular reaction in the body.
Thus, experts also explain the longer life expectancy of French wine drinkers no longer (only) with the consumption of the said luxury food. Earlier studies had not included their Mediterranean diet – consisting of plenty of fish, olive oil, fruits and vegetables – in the investigation. “It is known that people of higher socioeconomic status are more likely to be in situations where alcohol is consumed,” the expert continues. “And it’s also known that people from lower social classes have more diseases and shorter life expectancy. So the red wine is probably just an indication of better education and higher income.”
In general, people who enjoy a good drop now and then are supposed to live longer than strict non-drinkers – or so we thought. But here, too, the facts have their pitfalls. In studies,abstainers are generalized. The test subjects are only partly made up of people who avoid alcohol out of conviction – in the interests of fitness, for example. Likewise, they often included former alcoholics and pre-existing alcoholics who are prohibited from drinking because of physical conditions. Health values and supposed conclusions on total mortality are distorted accordingly.
Is high-proof alcohol more harmful than red wine and beer?
The alcohol content is – at least theoretically – one of the factors that determines the health risks of beverages. After all, how much you can drink without harming your health is calculated on the basis of pure alcohol. Medical experts advise women not to drink more than 12 grams a day. That corresponds to about 0.3 liters of beer or a 0.1-liter glass of wine; for men, about twice that is allowed. The respective maximum values are of course reached more quickly with spirits than with beer or wine. In plain language, this means that spirits are not automatically more harmful, but moderation is all the more important here because the alcohol in them is more concentrated.
What about the supposedly healthy ingredients in beer and red wine?
The many minerals and trace elements found in beer, which are said to have a positive influence on metabolism, blood formation and cell renewal, are actually “not entirely uninteresting.” According to Prof. Nicolai Worm, specialist book author and graduate ecotrophologist from Munich, they contribute to the supply of micronutrients. Unlike his colleague Knop, studies have convinced him that moderate alcohol consumption should lead to a reduced risk of various metabolic and coronary diseases – but only as an accompaniment to an overall sensible lifestyle and as part of a sensible, ideally Mediterranean diet.
Positive to note are not least the secondary plant substances, which become pharmacologically effective above all after metabolization by our intestinal bacteria and are to be found particularly highly concentrated in red wine. But caution: this does not mean that one should drink all the more of it. “From 20 grams for women and from 30 grams for men, the health risks increase more and more, so that no more advantage for the body is recognizable by the ingredients altogether”, explains Prof. Worm.
Is red wine now healthier than other alcoholic beverages? The conclusion
If one does not exaggerate, red wine can be actually a tad healthier due to its contents materials than its alcoholic competition. However, it is important to remember that the dose makes the poison! Otherwise, the positive effects will be null and void and the negative ones numerous. In other words, an occasional glass is perfectly permissible, provided that one’s state of health permits it. In the days that follow, it is better not to drink anything at all. So that the liver can recover and it does not become an unhealthy habit.
Note: Alcohol must be consumed responsibly. Alcohol consumption can be hazardous to health and addictive. Do not participate in road traffic if you have drunk alcohol and observe the regulations for the protection of minors.
— source: fitbook.de/picture: unsplash.com
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