Are There Any Real Health Benefits of Drinking Non-Alcoholic Beer?

18 Aug Are There Any Real Health Benefits of Drinking Non-Alcoholic Beer?

Researchers have much to say about the exciting beneficial side of the now popular near beers.

Well, it seems that non-alcoholic beer can be your choice of drink to make driving easier and maintain a healthier lifestyle.

No more fear of socializing without a drink and no more weight gain cries after a party!

With non-alcoholic beer, the trend apparently says that you are the new party pop in the town.

Now, before we start giving you spoilers, here’s a breakdown that brings out the amazing studies and pieces of evidence you need to know before going to a bar again.

Benefits of Drinking Non-Alcoholic Beer – Time To Break Up with Intoxication

Science says that drinking moderately can be a healthy welcome door to many benefits.

But how about replacing these moderate drinks with completely alcohol-free drinks?

As a matter of fact, non-alcoholic beers usually carry a minimal amount of calories as compared to regular beers.

The only difference comes out to be in the alcohol percentage!

Usually, the regular beers carry around 145-175 calories, while the light beers carry as much as 95 to 120 calories.

Comparatively, the non-alcoholic ones have lesser calories, around 60 to 120.

Apart from that, they also contain carbs and proteins!

Hence, it can be said that non-alcoholic beer is good for health as compared to moderate drinking.

With that noted, let us look at some of the key benefits of drinking these non-alcoholic beverages.

Health Benefits of Non-Alcoholic Beer

There are many studies and pieces of evidence that prove alcohol-free beers to be healthy and good for our bodies.

Some of these prominent studies that highlight major advantages of having alcohol free beer include:

STUDY I

According to a prominent study, the non-alcoholic fraction of beer was found to be effective in:

• Reducing abdominal fat
• Improving symptoms of osteoporosis
• Enhancing body hydration among women

This study was mainly conducted to summarize the findings that highlighted the health outcomes of non-alcoholic or low alcoholic beers on women.

It backed some of the following pieces of evidence:

• When research was done on the body of healthy adults following internal training workouts, it was found that the group which consumed alcohol-free beer showed a decrease in visceral adipose tissue as compared to the group that took a placebo.
• Another research found that women who consumed one unit of alcohol daily showed higher femoral neck than non-alcoholic beer drinkers. Also, the latter was found to have a positive association with positive effects on the lumbar spine.
• A study conducted back in 2010 investigated the effects of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beers on body hydration among women. 4 experimental groups were created and the results proved that consuming non-alcoholic beer was safe for hydration among older people.

STUDY II

This study was conducted on healthy young adults to explore the effects of de-alcoholized beer on hemostasis in humans.

According to this comparative study, de-alcoholized beer showed results like:

• Reduced expression of activated fibrinogen receptor
• Less formation of monocyte – platelet aggregate

Furthermore, alcohol-free beer proved to have inhibitory effects on thrombin generation whereas alcoholic drinks showed procoagulatory effects.

All of such benefits of non-alcoholic beer for young adults could prove to help reduce the tendency of encountering a cardiovascular disease.

Hence for questions like, “Is non-alcoholic beer bad for your heart, this study offers a solid answer.

However, the amazing non-alcoholic beer health benefits are not just limited to this, there are many more benefits that we must talk about:

#1. Enhanced Mood

Just like alcohol, your non-alcoholic beer stimulates the release of dopamine that enhances your mood.

This was proved by a study conducted back in 2013 done on 49 participants.

It compared the effects of sports drinks vs non-alcoholic drinks.

According to the results, non-alcoholic beers proved to improve the levels of dopamine when observed under the Positron emission tomography.

#2. Improved Quality of Sleep

According to research conducted with female nurses, there is improvement in sleep quality after ingesting non-alcoholic beers for 14 days.

Based on science, this is because of the presence of hop in beer which is a sedative plant.

This plant has a mechanism of inhibiting the neurotransmitters that act on the central nervous system.

#3. Helps Reduce Inflammation and Upper Respiratory Tract Infection

In a prominent study, male runners were asked to consume non-alcoholic beers for three weeks before and three weeks after a marathon.

It was found that the inflammation among the muscles post the exercises were less than normal times.

This was because of the phenol present in the beer which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

Further, the research also showed that the antioxidant effects also reduced the tendency to encounter respiratory tract infections.

#4. Stimulates Lactation

Experts say that alcohol should be avoided but that doesn’t mean non-alcoholic beers are not available for your party.

Especially when one of the major non-alcoholic malt beverage health benefits is its potential to boost up milk production.

This is because it promotes the hormonal balance of prolactin because of the barley present in beer which has polysaccharides.

Apart from that, it has also got the ability to enhance the levels of antioxidants in breast milk.

However, it’s best to ask your doctor for suggestions before consuming anything new when you’re lactating.

#5. Nutritional Benefits of Vitamins and Minerals

Alcohol-free beers are rich sources of vital vitamins and minerals like:

• Vitamin B complex 
• Calcium
• Zinc
• Potassium 
• Iron
• Selenium 

All these nutrients contribute to better health and boost metabolism for strong functioning.

#6. Non-Alcoholic Beer Benefits for Skin – Flawless Glow

The vitamins and minerals found in beer are very helpful in reducing acne and breakouts while also bringing a natural glow to your face.

Apart from that, it also works as a cleanser, clearing away the dead cells and increasing the elasticity of your skin.

As its composition works well for the pH balance of your skin, it is effective as nourishing skincare for your face.

For a youthful and fresh dewy look, you can also mix it with lemon juice. It will not only lighten the dark spots but will also clear out the blocked pores.

The benefits definitely are astonishing as we bet you were not expecting so much from just a pint of beer. But thanks to the amazing processing and composition of alcohol-free beers, such benefits are very much possible.

In fact, all these pros significantly contribute to the higher prices of such beers, making them a little expensive for the customers.

The following section explains the processing of such beers profoundly to help you realize why is non-alcoholic beer so expensive yet so beneficial.

How is Non-Alcoholic Beer Made?

There are many types of non-alcoholic beers available. While some of them have a low amount of alcohol, others have zero amount of alcohol.

So, does non-alcoholic beer have alcohol?

If we look at some examples, the United States offers 0.5% alcohol in its non-alcoholic beers. But there are companies too that have zero percent alcohol in their beers.

Hence, the composition or the definition of a non-alcoholic beer can differ in countries.

Talking about the method by which such a beer is made, there are two popular techniques:

• One is to modify the brewing process so that fermentation is stopped
• The second one involves removing alcohol from already brewed beer

#1. Preventing Fermentation

There are three ways with which fermentation can be prevented:

• No fermentation – Here, the yeast is withheld, removing any possible chance of fermentation. This is just a simple method but ensures 0.0% alcohol beer.
• Arrested fermentation – Here, the fermentation is not eliminated but rather adjusted. In this process, the wort has fewer fermentable sugars to prevent large fermentation. 

However, preparing a completely alcohol-free beer is possible as there are many enzymes too which regulate the fermentation. But since the number of sugars and temperature keeps varying they remain inactive.

• Special Yeast – There are specific yeast strains that cannot ferment specific types of sugars. These strains can be used to yield a product that is just a replica of a regular beer in taste and color but is alcohol-free.

#2. Dealcoholization

Usually, large breweries use this method to make alcohol-free beer. This again can be done by the following processes:

• Boil-off method – You just expose the brew to a high temperature. Through this, the desired amount of alcohol in the brew is regulated.
• Vacuum Distillation – In such a process, vacuum distillers are used. Alcohol usually boils at 173.1 degrees Fahrenheit but the vacuum pulls down this temperature to 93 degrees Fahrenheit. This evaporates the alcohol but maintains the taste and texture of the beer.
• Membrane Filtration – A regular beer passes through a specific membrane that just allows alcohol, color, and aroma to seep through. The water is separated, then alcohol is distilled and water reverted to the beer.

The outcome is your non-alcoholic beer that usually contains the following nutrients:

• Protein
• Fat
• Carbs
• Calories
• Sometimes, little alcohol depending on what you choose.

Coming to the composition, non-alcoholic beer has all the nutrients that your regular beer has, just the quantity is reduced.

Here, an important question arises as to the safety of these non-alcoholic treats.

So, is non alcoholic beer bad for your kidneys?

Now, we all know that alcohol is a danger for the kidney, but can the alternative be safer?

Let us find out.

Is Non-Alcoholic Beer Safe?

Comparing regular alcohol with the near beer, you will find that a near beer consists of 4.5% AVB which would take you nine bottles to match up the content of a regular beer.

A typical human liver takes around one hour to metabolize a single regular beer or any alcohol-infused drink.

But since here we are using a non-alcohol drink, it’s nearly impossible to say that the liver would have any load on it.

Despite that, you can’t exactly call a non-alcoholic beer a health drink or a completely safe drink.

Having non-alcoholic drinks every day for the long term can still cause side effects and health ailments.

Non-Alcoholic Beer: Side Effects

Since some of the non-alcoholic drinks contain small amounts of alcohol, there’s still a slight risk of intoxication if the units exceed more than one should drink.

In rare cases, where people have been suffering from liver problems because of their old habit of chronic drinking, alcohol has been found in the blood post drinking near beer.

Some cases of diabetes have also been noted after chronic usage of near beers.

Hence, it is always advisable to stick to a basic limit and never exceed it.

Now, it’s time we compare both the advantages and disadvantages of non alcoholic beer to find out whether the near beer is your new party animal.

Pros and Cons of Non-Alcoholic Beer

Non-alcoholic beer, like every other beverage, has its own set of pros and cons.

Let us start with the beneficial parts of the drink before jumping to the negative part:

Pros of Non-Alcoholic Beer

1. People going through alcohol abuse recoveries can opt for these beers as they have the same test and texture but the alcohol is not present.
2. It helps socialize and make people comfortable at social places. 
3. They are not as high in calories as regular beers. So, for all the ladies wondering, does non alcoholic beer make you fat, there’s nothing to worry.
4. Despite not containing alcohol, there’s some degree of psychological relief.
5. Some people often get placebo effects.
6. They have got a number of health benefits.
7. You can easily drive even after drinking something that tastes exactly like alcohol.
8. No hangovers.

Cons of Non-Alcoholic Beer

1. People don’t get the exact rich flavor of alcoholic beers from near beers.
2. Most of the non-alcoholic beers have at least a small amount of alcohol.
3. Researchers say that just the smell of a beer can cause alcoholic reactions in people trying to recover from alcohol abuse.
4. Non-alcoholic beer can be expensive.

Wrapping Up

Non-alcoholic beers are in, and the benefits often make your binge drinking count in one way or the other.

The breweries are riding on the peak highs of success with their latest reach for non-alcoholic beers.

All of this makes it important for us to highlight the major impressive facts that these beers carry on the bottles.

From helping out chronic alcohol abusers to non-drinkers who would like to enjoy drinks without tumbling down with intoxication, light beers definitely have their own place in your collection.

Loaded with amazing health and skin benefits, non-alcoholic beers can offer benefits that were never achievable with regular beers.

FAQs

These are currently some of the most asked questions about non-alcoholic beers.

#1. Is it OK to drink non-alcoholic beer everyday?

Non-alcoholic beer is definitely a good option for all those people looking for a break from alcohol. 

However, you must not have it every day, especially if you are recovering from alcoholism or are pregnant.

#2. Is non-alcoholic beer good for your stomach?

Your gut flora just loves non-alcoholic beer as it contains probiotics that are good for the gut. It has the ability to triple the number of good bacteria present in the gut, helping in better digestion and weight loss, of course, by boosting metabolism.

#3. Is non-alcoholic beer bad for your liver?

Although non-alcoholic beer doesn’t put much pressure on your liver and is easily metabolized unlike alcohol, chronic use of the drink can cause liver damage. 

Further, if you already have any liver-related medical condition, we suggest you consult a doc before making a move.

#4. Can you drive and drink non-alcoholic beer?

Non-alcoholic beers are legal for driving as long as the alcohol content in them remains below the defined criteria by the government.

However, since the cans resemble the alcoholic ones, make sure you keep things clear.

#5. Is drinking non-alcoholic beer a relapse?

Though it serves as a good alternative for people looking for relapse, it is advised by experts not to drink much or even non-alcoholic drinks when recovering.