Duke, others link beer to good health, cultural cohesion at 3rd Nigerian beer symposium

Former governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke, has emphasized that beer plays a significant role in the sustenance of good health and cultural cohesion.

Duke who was the chairman of the 3rd Nigerian Beer Sympo­sium held in Lagos on Thursday noted that not only is beer low in carbohydrates, it is as all-natural as orange juice and milk. “You see, beer has no need for preserv­atives because of the alcohol and hops – both of which are natural preservatives. The only process­ing beer undergoes is the same as with bread – it is cooked and fer­mented, filtered and packaged,” he said.

The former governor main­tained that it is most astounding that beer has no fat or cholester­ol and when taken in modera­tion, beer can tilt high-densi­ty lipoprotein levels (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol rations in the right direction. “HDL are the good cholesterols that protect your veins while LDL is the bad kind that builds up in your veins. Beer actually flushes the system and can boost the HDL by up to 4 percent with just a single beer a day,” the former governor re­marked.

He noted that the most amaz­ing beer and health connection is something called xanthohumol that inhibits cancer-causing en­zymes. “I have always wondered about the French. You see, their diet consist of rich, highly fatty foods, wine and those cigarettes. Yet, their rate of heart disease is significantly less than the rest of the world. This has been credited to red wine and the antioxidants it contains, which helps prevent heart attacks. Interestingly, beer just has as many antioxidants as red wine,” he said.

Duke also added that beer is a lot safer than the local bot­tled water. “If you find yourself someplace where you are advised not to drink the local water, the local beer is always a safer bet. It is a lot safer than the local bottled water. So just follow the rules of beer drinking and you will be fine,” he advised.