In the height of summer, having a cold beer with a meal is a popular choice for many to cool down. But can drinking cold beer really beat the heat? And what are the most scientific and healthy ways to pair beer with food? A hospital nutritionist provides the answers.
During the summer months, whether at home for a short break, at a roadside stall, or in a restaurant, a chilled beer along with a couple of cold dishes and grilled skewers has become a common pleasure for most people. However, whether chilled beer can truly cool you down and if these beer pairings are scientific and healthy have become points of concern. To this end, experts have offered several suggestions for consumers to consider.
Experts also emphasized that seven groups of people should be particularly careful not to drink beer. These are individuals with diabetes, hypertension, chronic gastritis, pregnant and postpartum women, those with urinary system stones, liver disease, and people taking certain medications.
1. Diabetics
One liter of 12-degree regular beer produces as much heat as 800ml of milk or 500g of lean meat, or 250g of bread. If a diabetic person consumes a large amount of beer without controlling their other food intake, it can cause blood sugar levels to rise, leading to acidosis and worsening their condition.
2. Patients with Hypertension
Beer is rich in tyramine, which can promote the release of adrenaline from sympathetic nerve fibers, causing intense contraction of small arteries throughout the body, leading to a sharp rise in blood pressure and even triggering a hypertensive crisis.
3. Patients with Chronic Gastritis
Drinking beer can inhibit or reduce the synthesis of prostaglandin E in the gastric mucosa, causing damage to the stomach lining and leading to symptoms like bloating, a burning sensation in the stomach, belching, and loss of appetite.
4. Pregnant and Postpartum Women
Beer is brewed from barley. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that barley has an effect of reducing milk production, and beer made from it can inhibit lactation, affecting breastfeeding. Furthermore, alcohol can be passed to the child through the umbilical cord or breast milk, impacting the child's brain development.
5. Patients with Urinary System Stones
Studies have shown that the malt wort used to make beer not only contains calcium and oxalic acid but also compounds like guanylic acid and purine nucleotides. These substances can interact to increase the amount of uric acid in the body and promote the formation of kidney stones. Therefore, patients with urinary system stones should drink beer as little as possible or not at all.
6. Patients with Liver Disease
Their liver function is impaired. Ethanol and acetic acid are metabolized into acetaldehyde, which can lead to necrosis or degeneration of liver cells. It also affects the liver's metabolic functions for proteins, bilirubin, and medications, potentially causing a relapse or worsening of the liver disease.
7. People Taking Certain Medications
Drugs like Furazolidone and Eunonyne can increase the body's sensitivity to beer, causing adverse reactions such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and difficulty breathing. Additionally, beer can enhance the irritant effect of antipyretic and analgesic cold medicines on the gastrointestinal tract. Therefore, beer should be avoided when taking the aforementioned medications.