Beer may cut heart disease

A pint or two down the local at the end of a long day may do more than lift the spirits - it may be good for you as well.

Beer has a protective effect against heart disease over and above the beneficial effect of the alcohol it contains, according to new research.

Beer sales have fallen in the past two decades as wine sales have risen, partly due to the belief that wine was good for the heart. Now scientists from the TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute in the Netherlands believe that idea may have to be revised.

Researchers studied 11 men who were given beer, red wine, spirits or water to drink with dinner over 12 weeks, measuring blood levels of homocysteine, an essential amino acid that has been linked to heart attacks and strokes.

The researchers, who report their results in The Lancet, found that homocysteine levels did not rise after beer consumption but did increase with wine and spirits.

Beer is also a rich source of vitamin B6, which is thought to be protective against heart disease and is barely present in wine and spirits.