Beer : Health and Nutrition

Water
The Basics of Human Nutrition 95
The human body is almost two-thirds water. Loss of 5–10% of the body weight as
water leads to symptoms of dehydration. Evidently the greater the risk of water loss,
the greater the need for rehydration. Clearly if the water is also carrying away with
it other nutrients, e.g. minerals, then these will need to be replaced in quantities that
restore the status quo.
Balance
To reiterate: the diet needs to be in balance. And this includes ‘trendy’ food ingredients
– the so-called functional food ingredients. Excessive bre can lead to problems with
intestinal gas, perhaps intestinal obstruction, and a reduced absorption of essential
minerals such as zinc, iron and calcium. Uptake of minerals can also be restricted by
chelating agents such as phytate and oxalate. Polyphenolics can bind metals such as iron
and so reduce uptake. Phosphates reduce the uptake of zinc while calcium interferes
with assimilation of manganese. Another example is that high levels of antioxidants
such as vitamin C can switch over and become pro-oxidants.
As is said more than once in this book, beer should be taken in moderation as part
of a balanced diet. The same goes for all other foodstuffs.