• As brewers try to attract customers
Television advertisements for alcoholic beverages, including beer, which contains 4 percent alcohol, always include the disclaimer, “Not for sale to persons under 18 years of age. Drink in moderation,” implying that the product should be consumed with great caution.
Recently, Nigerian Breweries Limited, a major beer brewing company, held its first talk show in Lagos, titled the “1st Nigerian Beer and Health Symposium,” inviting the general public to attend, and many people expressed interest.
The “why” behind the program was explained by the brewing company’s Managing Director and CEO, Nicholas Vervelde:
“The reasons are quite simple. Firstly, Nigerian Breweries is a market leader with a significant influence in the industry. Through increased shareholder value, job creation, business opportunity generation, foreign direct investment attraction, sustained CSR investment, revenue generation for governments at all levels and other knock-on effects, Nigerian Breweries has contributed significantly to economic development. Nigerian Breweries continues to be one of the leading drivers of manufacturing growth in the country.”
The Chief Information Officer at the University of Ibadan, Professor Thora Atinmo, a renowned human nutritionist, during a lecture, was privately concerned about what the public would think of an expert such as him literally providing information to health observers out of a “glass of beer.”
He exploited his own “concerns” when he said that it might sound odd to name beer as one of the healthiest drinks.While considering these possibilities, Atinmo approached his subject carefully with the scientific results of an analysis of the nutritional content of beer.
In his lecture, he explored the impact of beer on health, especially in today’s world where most people are conscious and concerned about their health. “The end goal is to provide evidence-based information on the health benefits of beer.”
Attinmo said: “Finnish researchers have found that drinking one beer a day reduces the risk of developing kidney stones by 40 percent, according to new medical findings. Another study in Spain also showed that beer helps rehydrate the body faster than water.”
“Despite the common belief that red wine is the only healthy alcoholic drink, experts claim that beer is just as good for the heart as wine, as both have the ability to lower bad cholesterol and prevent the development of blood clots. Moreover, beer has been shown to have properties that help prevent diabetes,” he said.
Another expert, Dr. Olu Malomo, Acting Head, Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Food Science, Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State, explained that beer is a beverage made by fermenting malted grains with yeast, adding hops and water. The beverage commonly called beer has been brewed for centuries. He said beer has many natural and nutritional components that are beneficial to humans.
Malomo said: “Brewing beer requires several ingredients: properly processed grain (usually barley, sorghum, maize or rice), hops, good quality water and brewer’s yeast. Each ingredient contributes to the flavour, colour, alcohol content and other subtleties of the beer.”
He said: “Recent research by nutritionists has shown that beer is rich in vitamins, dietary fibre, minerals and antioxidants, and is relatively low in calories compared to many other alcoholic beverages.”
A report commissioned by the Beer Academy said that when consumed in moderation, beer is one of the healthiest alcoholic drinks available, and it also explored the psychological and social benefits of having a pint at your local pub, a place where people go to enjoy company and get local news and information.
“A healthy lifestyle is achieved through healthy eating and drinking, adequate rest and stress management, physical and mental exercise, smoking cessation and good hygiene. In fact, a healthy lifestyle is a choice and not a coincidence,” Malomo said.
He argued that because beer brewing uses healthy ingredients, drinking beer has a positive impact on a healthy diet.
“These natural ingredients are grains, hops, yeast and water. Soluble fiber, which can be extracted from the cell walls of barley, is beneficial for human health. All these natural ingredients contain antioxidants, especially B vitamins, silicon and fiber. Beer is generally 93 percent water on average. As a result, beer is a great low-alcohol thirst-quencher,” he said.
Bankole Omotosho, a professor of drama at Stellenbosch University in Cape Town, South Africa, who is not an expert but is a beer drinker, said there is medical evidence that alcohol consumption has a blood-thinning effect and reduces the tendency of blood to clot.
Omotosho said: “As we all know, blood clots can restrict blood flow to the heart and brain, leading to serious heart attacks. It is also true that moderate alcohol consumption reduces inflammation in the nerve lining and lowers the levels of insulin resistance. Any alcohol, be it beer, wine or any other beverage, is protective for the heart.”
He didn’t dare prescribe how much drinkers needed to consume to achieve their health goals, instead staying on the safe shores of moderation, but he did advise that “it is generally believed that drinking beer with a meal is a better method than drinking it on an empty stomach.”
There’s no doubt that the various ingredients used in brewing beer contain beneficial nutrients, but research has shown that most of these ingredients are lost in their original form during heat, additives, underground storage and filtration.
The debate over just how nutritious a glass of beer is continues, as nutrients are lost or altered during processing. Clearly, those who don’t drink beer on moral grounds have long been tempted to disagree.
…the temptation to drink and its consequences
He is an expert in aging research and development. Princewill Alozie of the Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos, said encouraging people to drink beer and other alcoholic drinks was unethical as it was not healthy.
Alozzi pointed out that beer contains more than about 3-5 percent alcohol, so people have to be very careful about what they drink. This is a problem with domestic beer, just like with tobacco and its advertising. He noted that sometimes addiction to beer and tobacco starts as a minor social problem and can spiral out of control.
“Consuming small amounts of alcohol is not good for your health as people claim. It is linked to heart disease and can lead to premature death. Making people drink more alcohol to increase sales is a serious crime and we must protect the lives of our people,” he said.
Ageing research experts said alcohol puts the kidneys and liver at risk and eliminates some of the micronutrients from the body, which may put people at risk for developing cancer in different parts of the body. They also said that constant advertising of beer in the media would make even young people indulge in these dangerous alcoholic drinks, which go by various names.
He argued that alcohol can have negative psychological effects and anti-social behaviour patterns on people, especially young people, adding that in the workplace it can affect people’s performance.
Drinking beer is quite common in African countries such as Cameroon, but the question is “what is the level of awareness and drinking in those countries?” he wondered.
The President, Nigerian Society of Ophthalmology, Professor Sebastian Nwosu, asserted that alcohol has detrimental effects on various organs of the body, including the liver and nervous system.
He said alcohol not only reduces inhibitions and self-control but also impairs eyesight, which can make people more aggressive and prone to mistakes and accidents, especially when working with machinery.
“Chronic alcohol consumption damages the liver, leading to cirrhosis and ultimately liver cancer. The eyes are also affected, potentially resulting in alcohol-induced amblyopia and irreversible blindness. The nerves, including the brain, are no exception. The adverse effects of alcohol manifest themselves as various forms of neurological and psychiatric disorders.”
“Alcohol consumption during early pregnancy can affect fetal development and cause a range of congenital malformations known as fetal alcohol syndrome.”
However, he noted that despite these negative opinions, alcohol can have beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system and blood vessels, inducing vasodilation and potentially preventing atherosclerosis.
“But these small health benefits do not justify indulging in alcohol.”
For him, there are no hard and fast rules regarding the minimum or maximum amount of alcohol one should consume.
“In general, these chemicals should be consumed sparingly and dosages should be individualized,” Nwosu advised.
Chairman, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Resident Doctors Association, Dr. Molonkola Ramon, noted that taking even a little more than the recommended amount could have adverse effects on the heart.
He said it might be better to drink two bottles a week, averaging 20 grams of alcohol, or fewer than 40 units of alcohol per week.
“Most people who drink beer are usually over their alcohol limit and it has such a big effect on the body that it’s hard to maintain an alcohol limit.”
“Consuming large amounts of alcohol can cause heart disease, heart failure and leg swelling. Alcohol damages the liver over the long term.”
Psychologically, he said, alcoholism affects careers and marriages.
“If you feel you cannot live without alcohol, make sure you stick to the recommended amount and get regular health checks.”
Ayenibiowo Kehinde, a psychologist and senior lecturer at the University of Lagos, said children learn by observation, so those who grow up seeing their parents drinking are more likely to pick up the habit.
She suggested that alcoholics should seek professional help.
