Is it good for you??

It looks like this famous old slogan has some truth to it after all. A new studyfrom the University of Wisconsin has reported that a pint of Guinness could have the same heart health benefits as a low dose of aspirin. When tested on dogs, antioxidants in Guinness helped reduce blood clots and slow down deposits of cholesterol on the artery walls. Dogs were chosen not because they love to lap up beer, but because they have narrow blood vessels similar to those of humans who suffer from heart disease. Blood clots and clogged arteries are bad news because they increase a person's risk for a heart attack.

Let me point out that the benefits were found from drinking Guinness, not any other beers. This news doesn't mean you should go on a Guinness drinking binge for your heart's sake, because beer still contains alcohol, so limit yourself to one or fewer drinks a day.

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Guinness could really be good for you

The old advertising slogan "Guinness is Good for You" may be true after all, according to researchers. A pint of the black stuff a day may work as well as a low dose aspirin to prevent heart clots that raise the risk of heart attacks. Drinking lager does not yield the same benefits, experts from University of Wisconsin told a conference in the US. Guinness was told to stop using the slogan decades ago - and the firm still makes no health claims for the drink. The Wisconsin team tested the health-giving properties of stout against lager by giving it to dogs who had narrowed arteries similar to those in heart disease. They found that those given the Guinness had reduced clotting activity in their blood, but not those given lager. Heart trigger Clotting is important for patients who are at risk of a heart attack because they have hardened arteries. A heart attack is triggered when a clot lodges in one of these arteries supplying the heart. Many patients are prescribed low-dose aspirin as this cuts the ability of the blood to form these dangerous clots. The researchers told a meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida, that the most benefit they saw was from 24 fluid ounces of Guinness - just over a pint - taken at mealtimes. They believe that "antioxidant compounds" in the Guinness, similar to those found in certain fruits and vegetables, are responsible for the health benefits because they slow down the deposit of harmful cholesterol on the artery walls. However, Diageo, the company that now manufactures Guinness, said: "We never make any medical claims for our drinks." The company now runs advertisements that call for "responsible drinking". A spokesman for Brewing Research International, which conducts research for the industry, said she would be "wary" of placing the health benefits of any alcohol brand above another. She said: "We already know that most of the clotting effects are due to the alcohol itself, rather than any other ingredients. "It is possible that there is an extra effect due to the antioxidants in Guinness - but I would like to see this research repeated." She said that reviving the old adverts for Guinness might be problematic - at least in the EU. Draft legislation could outlaw any health claims in adverts for alcohol in Europe, she said. Feel good factor The original campaign in the 1920s stemmed from market research - when people told the company that they felt good after their pint, the slogan was born. In England, post-operative patients used to be given Guinness, as were blood donors, based on the belief that it was high in iron. Pregnant women and nursing mothers were at one stage advised to drink Guinness - the present advice is against this. The UK is still the largest market in the world for Guinness, although the drink does not feature in the UK's top ten beer brands according to the latest research. __________________________________________________________________________________________ When tested on dogs, antioxidants in Guinness helped reduce blood clots and slow down deposits of cholesterol on the artery walls. Researchers say that a pint a day may work as well as a low dose of aspirin in preventing heart clots that raise the risk of heart attacks. Some other reasons you may want to enjoy a pint of beer on St. Patty's Day or this weekend: better bones, weight management, and a better memory. This is not a license to go out and get wasted though. As always, everything is better in moderation. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. Pouring a glass or pint of Guinness is a skill. A “perfect pour” should take 199.50 seconds. This is the result of pour at an angle of 45 degrees followed by a rest. This is crucial. Most Irish people would cringe if they saw anyone pour it any other way. After a pause, long enough so what’s in the glass is a perfect black, the rest of the glass is filled, again at a 45 degree angle. What is handed across the bar should have a creamy head and should be served at exactly 42.8F. 2. It is a known fact that the Irish love to travel around the world but did you know thatGuinness is brewed in more than 150 countries. These include Nigeria and Indonesia. 3. Though the Irish obviously love a pint of plain 40 percent of all Guinness is sold in Africa. Who would have thought that in such a hot climate it would go down so well! 4. Over 10 million glasses are sold every day. Are you doing your part? That’s quite a high quota to fill. 5. Guinness is the perfect diet drink. A pint of the good stuff contains only 198 calories. That’s less than most light beers, wine, orange juice or even low fat milk. 6. Guinness does not contain oatmeal, contrary to a popular myth. This wonderful stuff is made of roasted malted barley, hops, yeast, and water. Also it’s not black. It actually a very nice dark ruby red. 7. The famous advertisement slogan “Guinness is Good For You” is still used around the world. Though Guinness has now officially on the record as denying this claim some research does support that Guinness is good for your heart. It was not so long ago in Ireland that pregnant women were told to drink a glass of Guinness every day to fortify themselves and their baby. 8. St. James’ Gate Brewery, in Dublin City was leased for 9000 years at an annual fee of about $65. In 1759 when Arthur Guinness was just starting out in the brewing business he had such confidence in his product that he knew his brewery would still be running in 9000 years time. Well that’s 251 years over with. I’m pretty sure Guinness will make it the next 8,750. 9. The Guinness breweries in Counties Louth and Kilkenny will be shutdown in 2013. There was also talk of closing down the Dublin brewery and moving back it to Leixlip, in Kildare, where Arthur’s career in stout making began. A national outcry ensued. Guinness will be staying put on the banks of the River Liffey and multi-billion renovations will begin soon. 10. On September 24, 2009 at 5.50 (or 17.59 in the 24 hour clock) Ireland and the world celebrated 250 years of Guinness with “Arthur’s Day”. The time 17.59 was cleverly chosen as 1759 was the year that Arthur signed his lease on St. James’ Gate. It also gave most people enough time to finish up work and meet their friends at their favorite pub. It may have been nothing more than massive marketing ploy but it was also one of the largest united parties every held in the world. In almost every country across the globe merry makers raised their glasses and cheered “To Arthur”. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Guinness is good for you? By Mark Vavoulis • Mar 17th, 2010 • Category: Blood Clots, True Health News St. Patrick’s Day celebrations may actually be good for you – if they include a pint of the Guinness Irish stout beer. It turns out that ads touting Guinness as being good for you really are true. A 2003 American Heart Association study found that drinking a pint of Guinness each day can reduce the risk of blood clots that cause heart attacks. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin conducted tests to compare the health benefits of stout Guinness with lager Heineken. They fed the two beers to dogs with clogged arteries and then measured the effects on the stickiness of blood-clotting cells. The results showed only the dogs that were fed Guinness had reduced clotting activity, making them less likely to have a heart attack. Researchers said that dark stout beer, like Guinness, is packed with powerful antioxidant compounds called flavonoids, which can help reduce damage to the lining of arteries. Other possible health benefits of drinking beer in moderation include protecting against type 2 diabetes, increasing good cholesterol levels, lowering the risk of developing dementia and improving cognitive function. "People should realize that a little bit of alcohol on a regular basis decreases the risks of aging," Boston University School of Medicine’s Dr. R. Curtis Ellison told Forbes magazine. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Drinking Guinness can keep your heart healthy. Guinness is rich in iron that is good for the blood and Guinness has always hinted that Guinness was good for you. Researchers have stated that Guinness has the ability to reduce blood clots that in turn lower the risk of heart attacks. It is the antioxidants found in Guinness that is believed to bring these health benefits. Some other things you may not know about Guinness 1. After finishing a pint of Guinness you can count the rings in the glass. This will tell you drink how many sips/gulps you took. An Irish person should only see between 5 and 7 rings. 2. If you want to know when a pint of Guinness has properly settled, take a coin and tap the glass gently. If the glass makes a sharp sound, then it has settled. Otherwise if it produces a bland sound then it has some more settling to do. 3. Blackcurrant juice can be added to a pint of Guinness to improve the taste if you are not a fan. This should not be tried in Ireland, as most people will frown upon it. 4. Guinness and steak pie is a common dish that uses Guinness as an ingredient. It is actually quite nice. The alcohol level becomes reduced in the Guinness when the dish has been fully prepared. 5. Putting a shamrock on the Guinness head using the tap is a very skilful task. Not many people can do it properly. You may see shamrocks on the heads but these can be added using a shamrock shaped stamp. ___________________________________________________________________________________ These days beer and other alcoholic drinks are generally considered unhealthy. This hasn’t always been the case. Historically beer was seen as beneficial, and rightly so because it was often more sanitary than local water supplies. The water used to make beer was boiled early on in the brewing process which killed any pathogens. The alcohol produced during fermentation and the addition of hops helped to preserve it. Until modern civic water treatment plants became common beer was often the only reliable source of sanitary hydration. Marketers that came up with the long time campaign for a famous Irish stout, “Guinness is good for you,” only helped to reinforce beer’s healthy image. Additionally, there has always been a perception that more robust alcoholic beverages increase virility. The honeymoon was named for the month’s supply of mead, honey wine, given to a newly wedded couple. It was believed that mead would aid them in successfully producing a son. But the last half of the twentieth century saw a decline in the public’s opinion of alcohol in general. As the damaging affects of alcohol abuse became more commonly known the perception of beer as a healthy beverage all but died away. Then in the mid nineties studies of the benefits of red wine began to emerge. Suddenly alcoholic beverages, or at least one of them, had a chance at repairing a damaged public image. But what about beer? I found a breakdown of the nutritional components of beer at the USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, see the chart below. Of course there is a lot of generalization in these numbers. There are beers with much higher or lower levels alcohol, carbohydrates, and protein. But this chart can give you a pretty good idea of what beer does and does not contain and in what amounts based on a 12 oz serving. Now, as far as what these components might do to your body, well, that’s a subject that leaves me in the dark. I enlisted the assistance of Shereen Jegtvig, About’s nutrition guide, to help interpret what’s here. The first question on my mind concerns how beer compares to other alcoholic drinks like red wine or distilled spirits. The comparison is not that easy to make. In the first place, the main beneficial element that was discovered in red wine is resveratrol, a powerful anti-oxidant. Beer doesn’t contain any resveratrol. But the presence of folate in beer helps lower the risk of heart disease when consumed in moderation. Beer also reduces blood clots and it has been shown to improve mental function in women as well as increasing bone density. Now, let’s look at the chart again. See the fat and cholesterol levels? It might come as a surprise to those that associate beer drinking with being overweight but there isn’t a trace of fat in beer. Brewers and beer connoisseurs have known this for quite a while. Even the slightest traces of fat or oil in beer can destroy many of the things that we love about our favorite ales and lagers. That beautiful, creamy head on top of a glass of good beer could never exist. Also, the delicate mouthfeel of many beers would be ruined. But if there’s no fat, then where does the beer belly come from? Turns out it has less to do with drinking a beer and more about the customs of beer drinking. Think about bar foods. They are usually salty, greasy, fat laden stuff, right? Plus, drinking a few beers can make even the most energetic of us a bit lethargic. It’s no surprise that inactivity can add to an expanding waistline. But a beer, all by itself, won’t significantly affect your weight one way or another. In fact Shereen tells me that some studies have shown that beer helps to reduce triglycerides and LDL (LDL is the bad sort of cholesterol), problems that are often associated with obesity. If beer has no fat and moderate consumption doesn’t contribute to weight gain, then what’s light about “light” beers? Are they better for you? Shereen says not necessarily. There’s nothing significantly different between light and regular beers except a slightly lower calorie count. If you’re trying to lose weight and feel compelled to have a beer, the light beer might be your choice. But Shereen asks, “Why not try different types of beer? Beer tasting is every bit as pleasurable as wine tasting. I think enjoying the food you eat is important too…not just looking at the numbers on a nutrition chart.” With all other things being equal, I think I’d rather reduce my calories somewhere else in my diet and enjoy a beer with some flavor. So, what’s the bottom line? There might not be a six pack in your six pack but there doesn’t have to be a gut, either. “One beer a day is good for you,” Shereen says, “Several beers each day is not. The key to health with beer drinking is to limit your consumption to one beer each day.”  ________________________________________________________________________________ When you walk into a bar in Ireland you could shout across at the barman and ask for a pint of plain, the good stuff, your best or Irish Mother’s milk. You could even just walk up to the bar and hold your forefinger in the air, any barman worth his salt would know that you were asking for a pint of Guinness Officially the most internationally recognized symbol of Ireland, Guinness is the most popular alcoholic drink in Ireland and in many other countries besides. Here are some of many interesting facts about the black stuff.   1. Pouring a glass or pint of Guinness is a skill. A “perfect pour” should take 199.50 seconds. This is the result of pour at an angle of 45 degrees followed by a rest. This is crucial. Most Irish people would cringe if they saw anyone pour it any other way. After a pause, long enough so what’s in the glass is a perfect black, the rest of the glass is filled, again at a 45 degree angle. What is handed across the bar should have a creamy head and should be served at exactly 42.8F. Best to follow the experts advice and watch the video (see right). 2. It is a known fact that the Irish love to travel around the world but did you know that Guinness is brewed in more than 150 countries. These include Nigeria and Indonesia. 3. Though the Irish obviously love a pint of plain 40 percent of all Guinness is sold in Africa. Who would have thought that in such a hot climate it would go down so well! 4. Over 10 million glasses are sold every day. Are you doing your part? That’s quite a high quota to fill. ----------------------- READ MORE: Singapore uses Guinness to add depth to their favorite dishes - Guinness Hokkien Mee recipe Guinness cash in on Obama's Moneygall visit The Queen turns down a free pint of Guinness - VIDEO & PHOTOS ----------------------- 5. Guinness is the perfect diet drink. A pint of the good stuff contains only 198 calories. That’s less than most light beers, wine, orange juice or even low fat milk. 6. Guinness does not contain oatmeal, contrary to a popular myth. This wonderful stuff is made of roasted malted barley, hops, yeast, and water. Also it’s not black. It actually a very nice dark ruby red. 7. The famous advertisement slogan "Guinness is Good For You" is still used around the world. Though Guinness has now officially on the record as denying this claim some research does support that Guinness is good for your heart. It was not so long ago in Ireland that pregnant women were told to drink a glass of Guinness every day to fortify themselves and their baby. 8. St. James’ Gate Brewery, in Dublin City was leased for 9000 years at an annual fee of about $65. In 1759 when Arthur Guinness was just starting out in the brewing business he had such confidence in his product that he knew his brewery would still be running in 9000 years time. Well that’s 251 years over with. I’m pretty sure Guinness will make it the next 8,750. 9. The Guinness breweries in Counties Louth and Kilkenny will be shutdown in 2013. There was also talk of closing down the Dublin brewery and moving back it to Leixlip, in Kildare, where Arthur’s career in stout making began. A national outcry ensued. Guinness will be staying put on the banks of the River Liffey and multi-billion renovations will begin soon. 10. On September 24, 2009 at 5.59 (or 17.59 in the 24 hour clock) Ireland and the world celebrated 250 years of Guinness with “Arthur’s Day”. The time 17.59 was cleverly chosen as 1759 was the year that Arthur signed his lease on St. James’ Gate. It also gave most people enough time to finish up work and meet their friends at their favorite pub. It may have been nothing more than massive marketing ploy but it was also one of the largest united parties every held in the world. In almost every country across the globe merry makers raised their glasses and cheered “To Arthur”.