Fewer calories – that’s a common rationale for picking wine over beer. True as it may be, here are some reasons (note: excuses) to grab a mug tonight.
There is a conventional wisdom that wine has potent health benefits, while beer only results in a growing belly. This is more than just good marketing.
A glass of red wine contains an average of 187mg of potassium, which meets four per cent of the daily recommended intake, and a significant amount of fibre, a study found. What more, flavonoids in wine have antioxidant qualities that help to protect the skin from harmful UV rays.
Drinking a large glass of red amounts to 185 calories, according to the Royal Society for Public Health. White wine has about 121 calories, but beer – depending on its heaviness – can easily contain up to 330 calories.
Still want to celebrate with a mug? Take these four reasons to heart:
1) Not all beer lovers have ‘beer bellies’
Experiencing a build up of fat at the waist area? Your friends may say that you are having trouble with a ‘beer belly’. This term has given the drink a bad name, undoubtedly stemming from the significant amount of calories it contains.
Truth is, a ‘beer belly’ is simply an effect of constantly bursting your daily recommended calorie count. The culprit could be pints of the drink. It could just as well be binging on a platter of chicken wings, snacking on too many nuts or even that banana split you had for tea.
Men are more susceptible to this as extra fat often gets stored in the waist area. Women may simply complain about larger thighs and buttocks.
Watch this video by Brit Lab (previously known as Head Squeeze) to find out more!
2) Lower the risk of kidney stones
Beer works as a mild diuretic, meaning that it increases the output of urine. Together with its high water content, the drink helps to lower the risk of kidney stones in men, the American Dietetic Association found.
As compared to wine, beer has more than two and a half times the amount of water. Even so, remember to consume enough fluids as its diuretic nature promotes dehydration.
3) Last through a celebratory night out
Going by statistics alone, a pint has the same alcohol content as a glass of wine. A key difference is that it takes more time to enter the bloodstream, slowing the process of inebriation.
Following a study, Dr. Mack Mitchell at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre discovered that spirits were the quickest to enter the bloodstream. Drinkers of wine took 54 minutes for blood alcohol content to be at its highest. Those who consumed beer took 62 minutes.
4) Boost your cardiovascular health
While the benefits of wine on cardiovascular health are widely publicised, a report from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study suggests that beer works too. Researchers had studied the drinking patterns of over 38,000 men across a period of 12 years.
They found that moderate drinkers were 30 to 35 per cent less likely to have a heart attack, when compared to non-drinkers. These men were consumers of beer, wines and spirits, suggesting that frequency mattered more than drink choice.
What we are saying is, go out and have that beer without guilt. But remember that moderation is key – consuming too much alcohol has dangerous implications on health.
