7th Beer & Health Symposium: Latest research results

The European Beer and Health Symposium is usually held in Brussels every second or third year, and focuses on the latest research on the relationship between moderate beer consumption and health.

At the 7th European Beer & Health Symposium, which took place in Brussels on 30 September 2014, scientists presented some of the latest research on the potential effects for health of moderate beer consumption, thereby confirming that moderate beer consumption by healthy adults can be fully compatible with a balanced lifestyle.

The first session “Beer: What’s in it?” focused on beer’s ingredients and the role they can play in an adult’s diet. In particular, it touched on the potential for gluten-free beer and the research being undertaken to assess the potential of certain ingredients as a means to improve the health benefits of beer.

The second session “Beer’s Place in the Diet” looked at beer’s place in a healthy diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, a diet that is associated with decreased rates of obesity, hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The session also revealed, comparing calorie counts for different foods and drinks, that there is no scientific basis for beer causing abdominal obesity (the so-called “beer belly”) when it is consumed moderately.

The final session “Moderate consumption of beer and your health” presented scientific studies that looked in more detail at the current scientific consensus on beer’s protective effect for heart and respiratory tract health. Looking specifically at fermented beverages, including the effects of components in beer such as polyphenols, this protective effect from moderate beer consumption was also confirmed for patients who have previously suffered a heart attack.

The Symposium also presented the Young Scientist Award, received this year by Ilse C. Schrieks, whose winning scientific project looked at the link between moderate consumption and type 2 diabetes. This award was open for scientists under 35 and is designed to acknowledge research contributions that further the development and knowledge regarding the health effects of moderate consumption of beer and its role in an adult’s healthy lifestyle.