MANY of our readers and friends have heard about Oktoberfest, a very popular festival, if you can call it that in the southern part of Germany, more specifically the region of Bavaria.
Whether in cosmopolitan Munich or in small villages, locals troop to taverns, pubs, restaurants or any watering hole to indulge in gulping beer by the mugs, in volumes that come close to bacchanalain proportions.
Mind you, this drinking spree is not only for the men but also for the frau as well as the frauleins- obviously this practice is tightly woven into the socio-cultural matrix of the people. Tourists, especially Asians, are pleasantly if not disturbingly surprised to find out that a bottle of water in this part of the globe is more expensive than beer.
When interviewed, locals are quick to say that aside from tradition- Oktoberfest beer flow is from last week of September up to the second weekend of October- beer is known to be beneficial to their health.
A review of past studies as well as newer researches that have found their way into the pages of respectable and reputable journals, indeed support the fact that moderate beer drinking- one to two bottles a day for men and one bottle for the lady, can confer some health benefits similar to those derived from red wine with its powerful anti-oxidant resveratrol.. World renowned medical celebrities have also thrown in their aggreement, although qualified emphasizing" moderate drinking."
Dr. Norman Kaplan, professor of internal medicine at the University of texas in Dallas as well as Prof. Meir Stampfer of the Harvard School of Public Health and Nutrition shared the finding that those who consume the recommended amount of beer have a 30-40 percent lower rate of coronary heart disease compared to those who dont drink, and this is attributed to the polyphenols in beer which, like resveratrol, acts as anti-oxidants- chemical substances that fight and neutralize the harmful and destructive effects of the so-called "oxides with odd-number of electrons", which disrupt nomal cell activity that leads to premature aging, cancer and various diseases.
Another interesting result of studies in beer is the increase in the vitamin pyridoxine of Vit B6, which is a powerful tool to fight another harmful substance that could accumulate inside the body; that substance is the amino acid homocysteine. Which cardiologists know to have bad effects on blood vessels, especially the coronary arteries that supply oxygen to the heart.
Be that as it may, the author is not, and for emphasis, repeat, is not recommending that all people should start drinking beer now. For one, we all know of the so-called "beer belly", an apple shape configuration of the abdomen of beer drinkers especially those who stay seated for a long time savouring the bittersweet taste of beer. With the increase in tax for cigarettes and alcohol, it is prudent that probably, non-drinkers would spend their hard-earned money for something more basic to daily living. In other words, this article is addressed to those who might just want to shift from the stronger drinks like gin and vodka to beer and even those beer drinkers to limit their intake to number of beer bottles for its purported health benefits, and swear not to drink more than that. All of us are aware of the effects of alcohol in excess- liver cirrhosis and mind you, even dementia.
Enough said. Let's toast to that. Cheers and Kampai!