Beer May Help Heart Health, Study Says

Excellent; here's another reason to enjoy our morning brew (what, Belgians and Germans do it!). A new study supports the claim that beer helps increase heart health, lowering risk of heart diseases.

Published in the journal Nutrition this month, a new study from researchers at Harokopio University in Athens found that beer actually helps blood pass through arteries easier.

The researchers rounded up 17 non-smoking men in their late 20s and early 30s, and measured their cardiovascular health after they polished off beer, alcohol-free beer, and some vodka.

The results: While reach instance reduced the stiffness of the arteries, only beer significantly caused blood to flow more easily.

Of course, this doesn't mean that beer vastly improves heart health; the subjects in question were already healthy to begin with. However, researchers say, "Beer acutely improves parameters of arterial function and structure, in healthy non-smokers. This benefit seems to be mediated by the additive or synergistic effects of alcohol and antioxidants and merits further investigation." Which means, no reason to stop drinking beer if you're already healthy; but as with anything, everything in moderation.