Does beer have the same effects on women

[Helen]

Hi,
I know its a silly question but from time to time I really enjoy a cold beer to go with my dinner plans. My question is: does beer have the same effects on women as it does in men ?

[Rakekay]

What kind of effects? Make you drunk? Give you a beer gut? Yes, to both depending on how much you drink. But, the occasional beer with dinner I wouldn't think would be a problem. Everything in moderation, to quote Julia Child.

[jobob]

If you're interested in losing weight you probably shouldn't drink beer.

[bouncybouncy]

Three articles from Health Magazine...

#1

Good News About Brews
by Patti Woods

Put on your lederhosen—it’s time to drink to your health.

It looks like certain compounds in beer may help with bone health, prevent hot flashes, and even help you avoid cancer. In fact, beer may be gaining on red wine. Due to its popularity, beer is now providing more antioxidants per day in the typical American diet than red wine, says Joe Vinson, PhD, a University of Scranton chemistry professor. All that’s in addition to beer’s blood-thinning properties that can help fend off cardiovascular disease.

Behind the boons: two vital elements in hops, beer’s primary ingredient. One, xanthohumol, shows promise as a cancer preventive. The other, 8-prenylnaringenin, is the most potent phytoestrogen (a naturally occurring plant compound that’s been linked to reduced rates of heart disease and cancer) identified to date. Fred Stevens, PhD, an assistant professor of chemistry at Oregon State University and author of a recent study in the journal Phytochemistry, says beer is one of the few dietary sources of this special cancer-fighter.

And there’s more. Researchers at The Rayne Institute in London found that beer’s hops and barley are major sources of dietary silicon, a mineral that not only reduces bone loss but, unlike calcium, also increases bone formation.

“Moderate drinking does have beneficial effects on bone, and choosing beer over wine or liquor would mean you will also get the added benefits of silicon,” said Ravin Jugdaohsingh, PhD, one of the researchers. The American Heart Association says “moderate” means one 12-ounce beer per day for women, two for men.

Even more good news for women: The phytoestrogen in hops is known to help level out hormones, including estrogen, whose deficiency is linked to hot flashes during perimenopause. The Rayne Institute study found no difference in various beers’ silicon levels. So you can toast your health with anything from a dark German Rauchbier to a Jamaican Red Stripe.

#2

How You Drink Makes a Huge Difference
by Jacqueline Stenson

New research suggests a link between drinking patterns and belly fat—less of it, that is.

No respectable doctor will tell you to start drinking if you don't like alcohol. But new evidence linking alcohol and body shape might make you extra-thirsty for a glass of Cabernet. Researchers at the University of Buffalo recently found that people who drink tend to have less belly fat than those who don't, and that people who drink a little every day tend to be thinner around the middle than those who drink only on weekends.

No one's sure why. But your drinking patterns may have some biological effect on the way you store fat, explains Joan Dorn, PhD, a preventive-medicine expert. Dorn and other researchers measured the belly fat carried by 2,300 women and men, and asked participants whether they had ever drunk alcohol, and if so, how much in the past 30 days. Those who had four drinks on a Friday and none for the next six days, for instance, were fatter than people who had just one drink every day. "You can't just look at how much people drink," Dorn says. "You have to look at when they're drinking it." What you drink seems to be a factor, too: The study's liquor drinkers were the fattest.

There's no getting around the significance of belly fat. It's not just about how you look or how much you weigh. The more fat around your middle, the higher your risk of heart disease. Not surprisingly, Dorn and Ronald Krauss, MD, an American Heart Association spokesman, say abstainers concerned about their hearts shouldn't take up drinking simply because of one piece of research. But Dorn says her study adds to a persuasive body of evidence suggesting up to a drink a day for women and two for men may keep the cardiologist away.

#3

Just What is Moderate Drinking?
by Debra Gordon

For women it’s one drink a day or less (men can have two), according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). A drink is a 5-ounce glass of wine, a 12-ounce beer, or a 1½-ounce shot of liquor. More is considered heavy drinking, which ups your risks for nearly every ailment.

Still, the father of wine research—Arthur Klatsky, MD, a senior cardiology consultant at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland, California—thinks the NIAAA might be just a bit conservative. Given that risks are based on studies in which many people underreport the amount they drink, he figures women could get by with about 1½ drinks a day—“a generous-size drink if you limit it to one.” More important is that you drink wine as if it really were a medicine: a little bit every day. In other words, if you “save” your seven glasses a week to let loose on a Saturday night, you can kiss any health benefits good-bye (and say hello to a hangover).

[yellow]

people who drink a little every day tend to be thinner around the middle than those who drink only on weekends.

Waaaaaay back when, when I drank more and was heavier, I decided to quit drinking during the week and only drink on the weekends. After an initial "adjustment", I lost 5 lbs without even trying AND found that I simply wanted to drink less. I really looked forward to that glass of Pinot with my dinner. So for me, the drinking-only-on-the-weekend rule worked for weight loss. I'm sure, like cycling short preference, it varies from person to person!

[SadieKate]

I decided to quit drinking during the week and only drink on the weekends.

Ahem, shouldn't you add "except on vacation?"

[yellow]

Ahem, shouldn't you add "except on vacation?"

And..."except for Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs, and Fri" since these days ALL (well, most) RULES HAVE BEEN BROKEN!

I'm not as AR about it as I used to be, especially with fancy distilleries around. (Believe it or not, UTAH just permitted its first distillery. Oh boy oh boy!)

[SadieKate]

They have a bar with it? What's the schedule? Open around Thanksgiving? In SLC? OK, take a breath.

[bouncybouncy]

The articles were meant to go together...yes the more you drink the heavier you will be...the more you eat the heavier you will be (there are MANY variables to the equation of course) if you exercise and eat enough you will "maintain"...you eat more than you exercise you "gain"! "In moderation" is the key...1 drink a day is moderation (and not that 32oz slurpee mug)

I got out of the article that those you drink on the weekends tend to "indulge" therefor are drinking too much...those who drank "in moderation" maintained an even playing field for the metabolism....

just thought they were good articles pertinent to the question at hand...

Now it is Friday and off to enjoy a round of this seasons highlight...

[Trekhawk]

The articles were meant to go together...yes the more you drink the heavier you will be...the more you eat the heavier you will be (there are MANY variables to the equation of course) if you exercise and eat enough you will "maintain"...you eat more than you exercise you "gain"! "In moderation" is the key...1 drink a day is moderation (and not that 32oz slurpee mug)
I got out of the article that those you drink on the weekends tend to "indulge" therefor are drinking too much...those who drank "in moderation" maintained an even playing field for the metabolism....
just thought they were good articles pertinent to the question at hand...
Now it is Friday and off to enjoy a round of this seasons highlight...

Hey bouncy - thanks for posting the article it was an interesting read. Most Aussies (especially the males) have been telling people for years that beer is good for you.

[traveller_62]

a pint of Guiness is actually a decent source of vitamin B -- almost like health food really

[Irulan]

Hi,
I know its a silly question but from time to time I really enjoy a cold beer to go with my dinner plans. My question is: does beer have the same effects on women as it does in men ?

what, loosen you up and make you want sex?

[Helen]

What kind of effects? Make you drunk? Give you a beer gut? Yes, to both depending on how much you drink. But, the occasional beer with dinner I wouldn't think would be a problem. Everything in moderation, to quote Julia Child.

Yes ... sometimes I like to drink one cold beer when I am eating my dinner. Thank you all for your answers.

[Helen]

Still, the father of wine research—Arthur Klatsky, MD, a senior cardiology consultant at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Oakland, California—thinks the NIAAA might be just a bit conservative. Given that risks are based on studies in which many people underreport the amount they drink, he figures women could get by with about 1½ drinks a day—“a generous-size drink if you limit it to one.” More important is that you drink wine as if it really were a medicine: a little bit every day. In other words, if you “save” your seven glasses a week to let loose on a Saturday night, you can kiss any health benefits good-bye (and say hello to a hangover).

Really ... to tell you the truth I don't like wine too much ... and I only drink it at different occasions, which is not good according to this article. Uffff ... I'll try and drink it every day.
PS: What are the benefits of the wine and what kind of wine should we drink?

[CorsairMac]

apparently wine has certain flavoinoids that are good for you - they say red wine is better than white. You could also just buy flavoinoids (sp) supplements and get the same benefit.