Study: Beer Is Good for Your Heart!

According to a new study from Greece, drinking some beer may provide serious heart health benefits. Researchers from Harokopio University compared cardiovascular health signals in a group of young men who had drank beer, non-alcoholic beer, and vodka. All experienced some heart benefits but the beer drinkers experienced significantly more than the others.

Endothelial function -- the measure of how easily blood passes through arteries -- improved in the beer drinkers but not in the vodka or near-beer consumers. The researchers believe that beer's high antioxidant content was responsible for the heart health boost.

We say: It's about time another "health" study came out re-affirming our commitment to heavy beer (and wine and whisky) drinking!

Learn some mo': Beer can be good for your heart

Ancient Beer Provided Antibiotics for Humans

Ancient humans probably took frequent doses of disease-fighting antibiotics via beer, according to new research from Emory University. It's strong evidence that people have actually been creating and using antibiotics for about 2000 years, not just since the discovery of penicillin in 1928!

The grain that was used to make beer in Nubia contains the soil bacteria streptomyces, which produces a type of antibiotic still in use today. Evidence shows that our ancestors perfected the beer fermentation process on purpose so that they could make this natural medicine.

Ancient Greeks also used beer as a fever-reducing remedy and wound healer. Some ancient cultures used it to treat diabetes and migraine headaches. So there's some good news for beer drinkers: it's been used as a medicine for a LONG time. Plus moderate drinking can extend your life!

Learn some mo': Researchers Find 2,000 Year-Old Beer Was Used as Medicine

The End of History: World's Strongest Beer

Scottish beer-maker BrewDog has released what is thought to be the strongest beer in the history of the world: a blond Belgian ale called "The End of History." It costs nearly $800 per bottle and, at 55% alcohol, provides a lot of booze for the buck.

According to BrewDog officials:

"The End of History" is the "strongest, most expensive and most shocking beer in the world... this is to beer what democracy is to history!"

So far only 12 bottles have been made and they've all been sold to buyers in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Each bottle is packed in the carcass of a dead "roadkill" animal -- including 4 squirrels, 7 weasels, and a hare.

Learn some mo': The End of History: World's Highest ABV Beer

Drinking Beer = Stronger Bones

Drinking beer might be good for your bones, according to a new scientific report that highlights yet another health benefit of drinking beer in moderation. The high silicon content in beer appears to provide the bone-strengthening benefit. Beers made with a lot of hops (such as India Pale Ales) and/or malted barley contain the most silicon and may provide the most health benefits for people with week bones.

According to researcher Charles Bamforth of the University of California, Davis:

"Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon... Wheat contains less silicon than barley because it is the husk of the barley that is rich in this element. While most of the silicon remains in the husk during brewing, significant quantities of silicon nonetheless are extracted into wort and much of this survives into beer."

This is not the first research showing that beer can strengthen bones and possibly fight off osteoporosis, especially in women. Besides its silicon content, there's evidence that beer's "plant hormones" might also provide a healthy bone mineral boost!

Learn some mo': Beer Good for the Bones