Since 2017
As a fan of beer, I am constantly bombarded by incongruent news stories. It seems that the medical research community are unable to decide whether beer is good for you. It seems that beer, and more broadly alcohol, continues to be seen as an evil that causes a plethora of chronic diseases, conditions and ailments. But every now and then good beer news surfaces.
You're almost certainly familiar with the term "beer-belly", referring to the bloated, pudgy belly associated with the over consumption of beer. But research has emerged linking excess hop consumption to gynecomastia, colloquially known as "man boobs".
Over the past few years, there have been many studies bemoaning the health issues tied to beer. Like many other enjoyable consumables (particularly red meat, bacon) alcohol is continually being put through the scientific ringer with researchers apparently unable to decide whether or not beer is good for you. Recently, I have seen a number of articles suggesting the health benefits of beer. While this is clearly not exhaustive, and the health risks of consuming large amounts of alcohol are well documented, if I can get science to tell me that drinking a beer is OK, I will drink a damn beer. So here's a rundown of some of the pro-beer science of recent weeks.
Sgt. Suds 