The 4th European Beer & Health Symposium, held in Brussels May 4, provided an impressive primer on the scientific research linking moderate consumption, specifically beer consumption, to a broad array of health benefits. Chaired by Prof. Jonathan Powell from the UK's Medical Research Council in Cambridge, scientists from Germany, Austria, Spain, France, Denmark, the Netherlands and elsewhere presented papers. Here are some highlights from the abstracts, some not even couched in standard scientific language:
- "In sum, apparently some alcohol can make the brain work better. Different scientific papers have found that those who even drink only two glasses of beer (or one glass of wine) have significantly sharper thought processes than teetotalers."
- Barley and hops contain compounds that "may be involved in chemo-prevention of cancer, bone protection or cognitive function improvement."
- Silicon, "found at high levels in beer