Am I “too old” to drink beer? I don’t mind admitting that I love a cold beer every now and then. Plus, I’ve always heard that an occasional drink is good for you. But now that I’m in my thirties, a few pounds are starting to sneak on. Should I give up the weekend brews?
There’s probably no reason to avoid beer. Thanks to antioxidants found in the beverage’s hops, drinking two or three 12oz. bottles per week can deliver many of the health perks traditionally associated with wine. These include reduced risk of stroke, lower LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and stronger bones. On the downside, hops do contain a phytoestrogen that mimics the action of the body’s natural estrogen. This can create an apparent overload of the hormone in the body, signaling the liver to store calories as fat—an effect that grows more pronounced with age. The easiest fix: Eat a handful of nuts (like cashews) whenever you have a beer. Nuts’ monounsaturated fats nourish the liver, helping it more efficiently break down phytoestrogens to avoid a fat-packing overload.
