Cheers! Drinking a pint of beer a day is GOOD for you, say experts



Says cheers with beers: The drink contains folic acid, vitamins, iron and calcium

It's a favourite pub tipple that has been blamed for ever expanding waistlines in the UK.



But drinking a pint of beer every day is good for your health, according to a surprising study.



Spanish researchers said moderate consumption of ale and lager can reduce the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure and can even help people lose weight.

They added that the infamous British beer belly can be blamed on an Anglo-Saxon culture with too many fatty takeaways and binge drinking.



Dr Ramon Estruch and Dr Rosa Lamuela tested 1,249 men and women over 57 years old for their study 'Beer, Mediterranean diet and cardiovascular disease.'



They found those who accompanied a Mediterranean diet with up to a pint of beer 'not only did not put on weight, but in some cases even lost weight.'

Doctors found beer provides the same health benefits already attributed to moderate consumption of wine.



Beer contains folic acid, vitamins, iron and calcium, which the study claims provide a 'protective' effect on the cardiovascular system. It also has a relatively low alcohol content compared to other beverages.





British drinkers 'drink large quantities, almost without moving from one spot, while eating fried chips'

The subjects who regularly drank moderate amounts of beer were less likely to suffer from diabetes and high blood pressure, and had a lower body fat content.

Dr Lamuela said: 'In this study we banish myths. We know that beer is not to blame for obesity.'

There are around 200 calories in a pint of lager - the equivalent of a cafe latte with full fat milk.

Dr Estruch said Spanish beer drinkers did not resemble their British counterparts who 'drink large quantities, almost without moving from one spot, while eating fried chips and sausages.'



That unhealthy combination was the cause of the British beer gut, they said.



Instead they suggested women should drink two small glasses of beer a day while men should drink three, combined with a healthy diet and exercise.

The joint study by Barcelona University, the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona and the Carlos III Institute of Health in Madrid, was published yesterday.