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Written By: Editorial Team | Updated : May 21, 2014 6:14 PM IST
Get this beer helps improve heart health! This news will surely gladden the heart of millions of beer drinkers around the world. A new study shows that drinking a pint a day improves the health of your heart reports the Daily Mail. Scientists found that blood flow to the heart improved within a couple of hours of drinking 2/3rds of a British pint* and the results were better than people who drank a non-alcoholic equivalent! The drinkers' arteries became more flexible and blood flow improves within a couple of hours drinking!
*A British pint is 568ml and 2/3rd of it would be 378ml.
The study which was carried out in Greece supports previous evidence that moderate beer consumption protects against heart disease and reduces the risks of heart attacks and strokes by 30%. This is one of the first studies that actually observe the changes in the cardiovascular system after consuming alcohol.
The study was also carried out on those consuming non-alcoholic beer and vodka but found them to be detrimental. The researcher tested for something called the endothelial function to measure how easily blood passes through major arteries and also checked aortic stiffness, a check designed to assess whether the vessels are relaxed or beginning to harden.
The results, published online in the journal Nutrition, showed all three drinks had some beneficial effect on the stiffness of arteries but beer had the greatest benefit.
In a report on their findings the researchers said: 'Endothelial function was significantly improved only after beer consumption.' The health effects were caused due to the combination of alcohol and antioxidants. While it's believed that excessive consumption and binge drinking can increase the risk of heart disease, moderate consumption of alcohol has a protective effect.
What is heart disease?
Heart disease or cardiovascular disease refers to a group of diseases that involve the heart and/ or blood vessels. Some of the more common ones are coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke and peripheral arterial disease. While susceptibility to heart diseases increases with age, gender, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, stress, there are many things we can do to improve our cardiovascular health. A low fat, high fibre diet with fruits and veggies, quitting smoking and giving up drinking excessive amounts of alcohol coupled with increased physical activity and less stress can go a long way in improving cardiovascular health.
Read more about causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of heart disease.
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