In the scorching summer, beer is particularly popular and is considered by many as an essential drink to beat the heat. Beer is rich in amino acids and vitamins, can stimulate the appetite, aid digestion, relieve summer heat, and is indeed suitable for summer consumption. However, the dangers of excessive beer drinking should not be underestimated. Paying attention to relevant "precautions" while drinking is necessary for physical and mental well-being.
Not suitable for quenching thirst
Many people consider beer a refreshing drink to quench thirst and stop sweating. However, in reality, drinking beer can actually make thirst and sweating worse. According to health experts from Health 863, while drinking beer provides a cool and comfortable sensation, once alcohol enters the body, it stimulates the secretion of adrenal hormones, causing the heart to beat faster, blood vessels to dilate, and body surface heat dissipation to increase. This, in turn, increases water evaporation and leads to a dry mouth.
At the same time, alcohol also stimulates the kidneys, accelerating metabolism and urination, which causes the body to lose water. Furthermore, when alcohol dissolves in the blood, it increases the blood's viscosity, forcing the blood in the vessels to absorb water from surrounding tissues to dilute the blood, which also causes a dry mouth. It is recommended to drink plenty of plain water and light tea after consuming beer to replenish the body's water in a timely manner.
Not suitable to pair with barbecue
Many people enjoy drinking beer and eating barbecue on summer nights. However, this popular food combination can likely induce gout and even cancer. Experts remind that most barbecue foods are seafood, animal offal, and meat. Like beer, they are all high-purine foods. Abnormal purine metabolism is a major factor in inducing gout. Eating barbecue and beer simultaneously will greatly increase the risk of developing gout.
In addition, the barbecue process not only produces carcinogens such as "benzopyrene," but the nucleic acids in meat, after being heated and decomposed, can cause gene mutations and produce carcinogens. Drinking alcohol dilates the blood vessels of the digestive tract and dissolves the mucus proteins on the surface of the digestive tract mucosa, making these carcinogens easily absorbed by the body and increasing the cancer risk. Therefore, it is best to avoid eating barbecue when drinking beer. If you really want to eat some, you can have some green leafy vegetables at the same time to reduce the side effects.
The temperature should not be too low
Under the blazing sun, drinking ice-cold beer feels incredibly refreshing, but beer that is too cold not only affects the taste but can also induce various diseases. Experts state that even beer stored in the refrigerator should be kept at 5-10°C. This is because the solubility of carbon dioxide in beer changes with temperature, and the various components of beer are in a coordinated and balanced state within this temperature range, forming the best flavor. If the temperature is too low, it not only tastes bad but also causes the proteins in the beer to break down and become free, destroying its nutritional value.
More importantly, beer that is too cold will cause a rapid drop in the temperature of the drinker's gastrointestinal tract, reduce blood flow, and affect digestive function. In severe cases, it can trigger spasmodic abdominal pain, diarrhea, and other gastrointestinal diseases. It can also increase the pressure in the duodenum, which in turn increases the pressure in the pancreatic duct, stimulates pancreatic secretion, and induces acute pancreatitis.
Do not drink excessively
The alcohol content in beer is not high, so many people indulge freely in it during the summer, even treating it as a drink to beat the heat. However, in reality, unlimited consumption of beer is also harmful to the human body. Experts point out that when a person drinks a large amount of beer, the large amount of water consumed will be quickly excreted, but the alcohol will be absorbed. If beer is consumed excessively throughout the summer, it will greatly increase the burden on the liver, kidneys, and heart, causing damage to these vital organs.
At the same time, because the malt wort used to brew beer contains oxalic acid and uridine, their interaction can increase the amount of uric acid in the human body and promote stone formation. Furthermore, since beer is nutritious and has high energy, and its nutrients are easily absorbed by the body, excessive consumption can lead to fat accumulation in the body. Therefore, it should not be consumed in large quantities. Experts recommend that an individual's daily consumption should not exceed 1000 ml.
Overweight people should not drink draft beer
There are two types of beer: draft and pasteurized. Draft beer generally has not been subjected to degeneration sterilization, so its aroma and taste are better than pasteurized beer. It also retains the activity of enzymes, which is beneficial for breaking down macromolecules, and thus contains more amino acids and soluble protein. Therefore, it is often more popular than pasteurized beer, but it should be noted that overweight people are not suitable for drinking it.
Experts warn that because the yeast in draft beer can still survive after entering the human body, it can promote the secretion of gastric juice and enhance a person's appetite. Therefore, drinking draft beer can easily lead to weight gain, and it will make overweight people gain more weight if they drink it. Overweight people and those on a diet are more suitable for drinking pasteurized beer, because it has been pasteurized, the yeast in the beer has been killed by high temperatures and will not continue to ferment, so the possibility of causing weight gain is relatively smaller.