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Bier Lovers
Corner:
HDL
– the good cholesterol in the Augsburg test
Many international studies have demonstrated
that there is a positive correlation between
HDL-cholesterol levels, that is, the “good”
cholesterol, and alcohol consumption. In
other words, as one goes up, so does the
other.
When the first studies appeared in the
late-1970s, asserting a positive link
between alcohol and coronary health, they
shook the foundations of traditional
nutritional dogma. Until that time, it had
simply been accepted, without questions,
that higher cholesterol levels were a
significant contributor to heart attacks.
The new studies, on the other hand,
demonstrated empirically that an increase in
wine consumption can actually reduce the
chance of a heart attack much more
effectively than a decrease in the
consumption of animal fats. Initially, these
findings gained a great deal of notoriety
under the label of "French Paradox." The
French connection resulted from the fact the
average French person has a lower
probability of suffering a heart attack than
members of other nationalities, in spite of
the relatively higher per-capita alcohol
consumption by the French as a result of
their predilection for wine. Scientists
considered this a paradox, because hitherto
they had postulated a positive correlation
between a nation’s alcohol consumption and
its rate of heart attacks.
The wine industry, for obvious reasons,
latched onto these findings by widely
broadcasting advertisements that said: “Wine
is good for you” ... a statement that is not
exactly wrong, but not exactly right either.
The one-sided preference of wine, usually
red wine, in the studies was purely
coincidental, because most of the studies
were carried out on samples of wine
drinkers, many in California and in southern
France.
Today we know for sure that beer has the
same beneficial effects on the risk
reduction for cardiovascular diseases as
does wine. We owe this insight, on the one
hand, to the keen mind of Professor Keil, an
epidemiologist of the Westphalian city of
Münster, and, on the other hand, to a sample
of the population of the Bavarian city of
Augsburg ? in other words, to a sample of
beer drinkers. The professor wanted to test
empirically the following hypothesis: If the
consumption of alcohol in moderation has a
positive effect on the risk for
cardiovascular diseases, it follows that it
must have a positive effect on longevity as
well.
Lo and behold, the beer drinkers of Augsburg
proved that, on average, people consuming a
modest amount of alcohol have a lower
mortality rate in cases of myocardial
ischemia or other cardiovascular diseases.
The sample studied by Professor Keil even
showed a greater longevity for all causes of
death than did a control group that
practiced complete abstinence from alcohol.
The consumption of alcohol significantly
reduced the amount and severity of arterial
blood clots and thus the risk of heart
attack or ischemic stroke. There appears to
exist no other substance that has quite the
same effect. To turn this argument around,
it is clear that the moderate and regular
consumption of alcohol has the effect of
prolonging life. In fact, the Augsburg study
as well as many subsequent epidemiological
investigations demonstrates that individuals
who engage in moderate alcohol consumption
have significantly lower mortality rates
than do individuals who do not drink at all.
This also implies that the consumption of
alcohol does not lead to increases in such
other diseases with high mortality rates as
cancer. These findings are not
insubstantial, considering that roughly half
of all causes of death are associated with
diseases of the cardiovascular system.
Beer and blood pressure
Another common argument against alcohol
emphasizes that an increase in alcoholic
consumption causes an increase in blood
pressure, which, in turn, causes an increase
in the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
It is true that regular heavy to excessive
consumption of alcohol results in higher
blood pressure. However, it is equally true
that the increase in blood pressure among
people who drink only moderately, that is,
consume less than 40 grams of alcohol per
day (about 1.7 U.S. fluid ounces), is fairly
minor, and that the resulting risk of dying
from a heart attack is no greater than it is
for someone who does not drink alcohol at
all. The factors of regularity and
moderation are of equal significance in this
comparison. The simple scientific conclusion
that emerges from these studies is that a
daily amount of beer is beneficial for
cardiovascular health.
In the next issue: Bier and the Liver
This information comes from the webpage of
the
Bavarian Brewery Association, please visit
them at:
http://www.bayerisches-bier.de/
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