A beer a day is good for the heart, scientists say

Drinking: Italian scientists say beer could be good for your heart
Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
Mark Chandler11 May 2016

Drinking a beer every day could slash your chances of developing heart disease, scientists say.

Italian researchers say moderate daily amounts of the drink could lessen the risk of heart diseases by around 25 per cent.

A paper by the Mediterranean Neurological Institute, based on 150 studies, said up to two 1.4 pints for men, and half of that for women, could have a beneficial effect.

And the scientists, quoted in The Times, claimed that a daily beer made no difference to people's chances of getting most cancers, dementia or other diseases.

They claimed levels of so-called "good" cholesterol in the drink could be responsible for the benefits.

Their paper concluded: "Unless they are at high risk for alcohol-related cancers or alcohol dependency there is no reason to discourage healthy adults who are already regular light or moderate beer consumers from continuing."

The scientists’ recommended daily allowance, around 21 units a week for men, is seven units higher than the recently reduced recommended limit for UK men.

However, the research did also conclude that beer did slightly increase the risk of breast, throat and mouth cancers, although it was not linked to other forms of the disease.

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