Top European scientists and researchers, addressing the 6th Beer and Health Symposium held in Brussels this week showed that moderate beer consumption among adults can be consistent with a healthy adult lifestyle.
The Symposium highlighted the potential health benefits of moderate beer consumption ranging from a lower risk for cardiovascular disease to positive effects on bone mineral density to benefits accrued from nutrients specific to beer.
“Research presented at the Symposium shows that moderate consumers have a lower risk of mortality than both abstainers and excessive consumers,” said Symposium chairman and head of the Division of Human Nutrition at Wageningen University Frans Kok
Kok said: “It is important to emphasise that beneficial effects are conferred only by moderate consumption and that the pattern of consumption and the associated diet and lifestyle are also important.” He stated that misunderstandings about the health impact of beer persist among citizens and said: “As scientists active in researching these areas, we have a role to play in addressing these myths. In this, we are supported by the latest scientific findings.”
Welcoming the scientific conclusions, Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary General of The Brewers of Europe said: “It is important for policymakers to have the full picture when considering approaches to tackling alcohol misuse.”
“EU citizens, who are exposed daily to stories of alcohol abuse and often misinformation about moderate beer consumption’s relationship to health, should also be informed of the benefits, not just risks,” said Bergeron.
The current EU policy framework to reduce alcohol-related harm, which Europe’s brewers support, is targeted at alcohol misuse and the minority who abuse alcohol.
“The Symposium reconfirmed that the problem is harmful drinking, not individual products. This is extremely important when it comes to identifying what are the best approaches to tackling alcohol misuse,” said Bergeron.
More information and a two-pager of the Symposium’s Key Outputs is available on the event website at www.beerandhealth.eu
