Is beer a good source of vitamins? And does it work as an ionizer?

There is no need for exaggeration when we say that beer is something like a national symbol for us Czechs. After all, we also have one of the highest consumption levels of this alcohol, which, according to available information, amounts to almost 190 litres per capita per year. And while some of us have a pint of beer every day with iron regularity, others don't drink a single pint in a whole year.

Whatever your attitude to beer, if you exercise, you've probably heard that it's the best ioniser and that it's literally packed with vitamins. Where is the truth? As it happens, most of the time the whole situation is much more complicated than that. In today's article, we'll look at this issue from all angles.

Article content:

• What does beer actually consist of?
• There's nothing wrong with that, right?
• But there is something positive about beer, isn't there?
• Does beer work as an ionic drink?
• Have a beer in the summer, but be sensible

What does beer actually consist of?

In order to actually understand whether beer is healthy or not, you need to know its raw materials. In addition to water, beer production requires hops, malt, usually from rye or wheat, and yeast to ensure proper fermentation. It should be added, however, that each type of beer is characterised by different raw materials - some beers use a different yeast than rye or wheat, the bottom fermentation uses a different type of yeast than the top fermentation, and some special beers use spices such as coriander, ginger or orange peel.

When most people look at the ingredients of a beer, it doesn't occur to them that there might be something problematic about the drink.

After all, there's nothing wrong with it, right?

When you look at the ingredients individually and without any context, there's nothing wrong with them in principle. The problem is that, as you might guess, fermenting beer produces alcohol. And its effect on sport, exercise, recovery and, consequently, general health, is definitely not positive. Although it has been said in the past that small amounts of alcohol can be beneficial, this is only the case under very specific conditions and modern scientific knowledge hardly favours this option.

For example, a very large and thorough study collecting data from almost 200 regions over 26 years showed that alcohol is involved in up to 3% of all cancers and is responsible for almost 10% of all deaths between the ages of 15 and 49. There is no such thing as safe or even healthy drinking, because every glass of alcohol carries a greater risk of developing one of the diseases studied than none.

There's no such thing as a healthy drink, but a pint with friends kind of goes with a good dinner.

But there is something positive about beer, isn't there?

Alcohol is a problem for a person's healthy lifestyle, and there's no point in pretending the problem doesn't exist. But surely, you're thinking, beer must have its bright sides too. So what is it then?

It contains B vitamins and minerals

That's right. So when you hear from someone that beer contains B vitamins, you don't have to argue with them. The second thing to consider, however, is their content. According to a USDA investigation, you can find in one liter of beer:

• 0.05mg of thiamine, which is equivalent to about 3% of the DDD.
• 0.25mg of riboflavin, equivalent to 20% of the DDD.
• 5.13mg of niacin, equivalent to about 33% of the DDD
• 60µg folic acid, equivalent to about 30% of the DDD.

What does this imply? That although beer does contain B vitamins, you would need to drink at least 3 litres to cover your daily intake of at least some of them! And that's not taking into account the fact that the intake of B vitamins in athletes might be even slightly higher. But in this case we are getting to the point where the negatives of alcohol outweigh the positives many times over.

And it is very similar with other substances. Fluorine, selenium, magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc are found in beer, but you would have to drink several litres to cover any significant amount of the recommended daily intake.

May help with digestion

The fact that beer helps with digestion is also a much-touted piece of information. And it's true this time too. Beer aids digestion thanks to the aforementioned B vitamin content and the hop content, which is able to promote the production of digestive enzymes and stimulate the production of gastric juices.

It tastes great and is refreshing

There is no need to kid yourself. The taste of beer is a huge benefit for many people and on hot summer days they will reach for a beer after a hard hike rather than a sugary cola drink or fruit juice. However, it is important to remember that a pint of classic 12° beer contains less than 250 kcal, which is roughly the same as an identical amount of Coca-Cola. So, even if you enjoy a bitter beer, you certainly won't save yourself any calories.

Does beer work as an ionic drink?

A drink consisting of carbohydrates and a selected combination of vitamins, minerals and other added substances (carnitine, glutamine, etc.) is usually referred to as an ionic drink. Its usual purpose is to hydrate and prevent the loss of vitamins and minerals due to excessive sweating, for example during training in hot summer weather. If you take a look at our range of ionic drinks, you will notice that most of them contain B vitamins, among others.

The question of whether as an ionic drink is therefore perhaps appropriate, although it is basically meaningless.After all , that' s why you get a headache after a heavy night of alcohol - your body is dehydrated. Unfortunately, there is no truth to this very common myth.

Beer definitely doesn't work as an ionic drink and if you drink more of it after a sporting activity, you can get a very severe headache.

Have a beer in the summer, but be sensible

What to say in conclusion? Perhaps just a little summary of today's beer issues. Beer is indeed a source of many vitamins and minerals, but the amount of them is no longer staggering. Although it doesn't work as an ionic drink and won't meet your daily mineral or vitamin needs, it still tastes good and can support your digestion. So when you're wondering whether to have a beer with friends over lunch this summer, do it without any qualms.

But it's definitely not a good idea to drink more of them, because then the negatives outweigh the possible positives by a wide margin. A non-alcoholic beer can also be a good solution, as the taste is slightly different, but due to the absolutely negligible alcohol content it will not interfere with your recovery or affect your attention.