dec2015

GUY TALK
I
like to drink beer.
Not every day, not
necessarily even every
week, but occasionally,
and most often when I’m
socializing with friends
or out to dinner with
the family. I drink beer
because I appreciate the
flavor of the beverage. I
enjoy a glass of beer more
like I would an appetizer
than as a way to merely
quench my thirst. Because
of this attitude about it, I
rarely order the light stuff,
or anything that doesn’t
have what I consider to
be some real substance to
it. I want to see some rich
color and taste the hops.
Because I’m drinking for the pleasure
of the taste, I usually don’t go big on
quantity. One or two and I’m good.
I can’t help notice, however, that
some guys, even in middle age, treat
beer differently than any other beverage
when it comes to the amount
consumed. Nobody cares how many
iced teas I’ve guzzled during dinner.
I’ve never told a waitress that I don’t
need a refill, only to then hear a
buddy say, “Dude, you’re only having
two lemonades? C’mon, man up!”
But beer is special. It brings us
back to younger days, to carefree
nights hanging out near the keg,
to that fundamentally competitive
question about who can hold down
the most. I’ve no problem admitting
it will not be me.
As central as beer may be at our
get-togethers, it might also hold
significance for a reason I never would have thought much
about in my days around the keg. There is news out from
time to time about the possible health benefits. I love when
I see a story that says something I like to do anyway also
happens to be good for me. So, I was happy to read about a
Whether
Or Not it
has Health
Benefits
By Mark Bohm
recent study, from the University of
Gothenburg in Sweden, published in
the Scandinavian Journal of Primary
Health Care, that reportedly showed
women who drank one or two beers
a week to one or two per month had
a thirty percent lower risk of a heart
attack compared to those who drank
several times per week or consumed
no beer at all. The researchers noted
that further studies were needed
to confirm the findings, and that it
was premature to recommend beer
drinking, but it appears that there
may be a cardiovascular benefit from
moderate beer consumption.
In another study, a particularly
exciting investigation for those of us
who have ever endured the agony
of a kidney stone, as reported in the
American Journal of Epidemiology,
researchers in Finland found that
beer consumption seems to reduce
the risk of kidney stone occurrence.
This has now become my personal
favorite medical study of all time.
Not that any of this is a license to
overdo it. I’m no health expert, but
from what I’ve seen, if there’s truly
any benefit whatsoever, it comes
from exercising moderation. Clearly,
for pregnant women, or anyone with
a history of trouble with alcohol, or
anyone else with a reason for not
drinking at all, none of this applies.
In fact, research I’ve seen doesn’t
suggest anyone should start drinking,
and we know that too much
or too often can be a downright
health disaster with dangerous effects
throughout the body.
That said, December is a great time
for beer drinkers. With the calendar
filled by the end of the year with
parties, vacations, bowl games, and
holiday celebrations, there are ample
occasions for me to partake in one or another of the tasty
seasonal brews that always hit the market now. This year, I’ll
raise a glass to the pleasure of enjoying a good cold one, and
if indeed there’s some other benefit that comes along with it,
even better. Cheers. P
62
DECEMBER 2015