So you’re thinking about trading your regular IPA for its NA counterpart, but is non-alcoholic beer good for you?
While asking if something is healthy will undoubtedly garner various opinions, and is very subjective, it can generally be agreed upon that cutting back, or eliminating alcohol is good for your health.
Additionally, most fermented drinks like non-alcoholic beer, kombucha, kefir, even ginger beer, will have low levels of alcohol as a by-product of fermentation, with most falling below 0.5% ABV here in the US per FDA guidelines, making them “non-alcoholic”.
I live an alcohol free lifestyle, and enjoying NA beers has been a huge part of that success. If you share a similar goal, non-alcoholic beer can be good for you, but nutritionists certainly wouldn’t label it as a health drink since it still carries calories and empty carbs.
Here is what I’ve learned from my personal experiences, and doing a little bit of research on the subject.
Oh, and with anything health related, please talk with your physician regarding dietary changes, and seek the help of medical professionals if you experience withdrawal symptoms while trying to detox from alcohol.
Is Non-Alcoholic Beer Healthy?
There have been many scientific studies about some of the benefits of non-alcoholic beer. While I can’t cover all of them, here are a few that I found to be the most interesting.
Better Mood
In this study, simply tasting NA beer increased dopamine levels in the body, which may help elevate mood. Since alcoholic and NA beer taste similar, the flavor is enough to induce dopamine release.
This is important, because for many of us, being able to enjoy NA beer helps us stay alcohol free, and congruent with our goals.
Better night-time rest
Another study shows how the hops in NA beer can act as a sedative to help you sleep better.
The study showed that moderate consumption of NA beer will favor night-time rest. This is also great news for all of you hop water fans out there!
Cardiovascular Benefits
“This study has shown that the acute consumption of dealcoholized beer inhibits thrombogenic activity in young adults. This action could have a beneficial effect on the development of coronary artery disease. Thus, the consumption of dealcoholized beer could provide cardiovascular benefits without the negative effects of alcohol.”
This final study shows the organic compound phenols found in non-alcoholic beer can reduce the risk of atherosclerosis, which is a buildup of plaque inside your arteries.
As you can see from these studies, there are many benefits to trading in your alcoholic beer for the non-alcoholic variety.
Hydration?
Believe it or not, more than half of US adults don’t drink enough water. Won’t you be glad to know that drinks with less than 2% ABV will actually rehydrate as opposed to dehydrate you!
Most non-alcoholic beers will be 0.5% ABV or less, so you don’t have to worry, but please make sure you’re drinking water when you feel thirsty.
Can You Drink Non-Alcoholic Beer While Pregnant?
While NA beer has a negligible amount of alcohol, according to the CDC , all types of alcohol (even trace amounts) are harmful, and there is no safe time for use during pregnancy.
Alcohol in the mother’s blood passes to the baby through the umbilical cord. Alcohol use during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and a range of lifelong physical, behavioral, and intellectual disabilities.
You’d be better off mixing up your favorite mocktail where you can control the ingredients, to ensure no amount of alcohol is present.
How about when breastfeeding?
When it comes to breastfeeding, there’s a little more leniency. They still recommend complete abstinence for mothers as the safest option, but generally, moderate alcohol consumption up to one drink per day is not known to hurt an infant, especially if the mother waits at least 2 hours after a single drink to begin nursing.
Keep in mind, many common foods like bread, fruit juices, yogurt, kefir, kombucha, even ripe bananas, have small amounts of naturally occurring alcohol in them, but it’s doubtful that any of these would cause you or your baby any harm.
Is Non-Alcoholic Beer Bad For Your Liver?
You’ve likely seen “funny” quips about drinking and your liver like “Sometimes I drink water just to surprise my liver” or “Shut up liver, you’re fine”, but the fact is, alcoholism and damaging your liver are no laughing matter.
First, let’s review what happens when you drink (any alcohol), and the role of your liver in the process.
When you imbibe alcohol, it’s the job of your liver to break it down and remove it from your system. 90% of this job is handled by this vital organ, the rest will exit through urine, sweat, and simply breathing.
However, during drinking, the liver becomes preoccupied with removing the alcohol, and is unable to do the rest of its job well, like filtration, and digestion for the rest of your body, and many other functions.
Over time, this will take a toll on your liver, and you can end up with liver disease, usually due to fat buildup, and this is just one of a few possibilities.
What about NA beer?
As I’ve discussed in this post, most non-alcoholic beer contains up to 0.5% ABV, which still needs to be processed by your liver, but the small amount isn’t likely to cause any damage in moderation.
On the flipside, if you’re already experiencing liver conditions, it’s not recommended that you start drinking non-alcoholic beer, it’s probably best to simply abstain.
Summary – Is Non-Alcoholic Beer Good For You?
Most non-alcoholic beer contains no more than 0.5% ABV which is much less than traditional alcoholic beer.
There are many studies backed by science which show positive benefits of drinking non-alcoholic beers over their alcoholic counterparts.
You shouldn’t drink any amount of alcohol while pregnant, but the rules are a little less rigid when breastfeeding.
NA beer shouldn’t damage your liver when taken in moderation, however, if you already have liver conditions, it’s not recommended to take up drinking non-alcoholic beer.
Generally, there are worse things you could be drinking, but in moderation, non-alcoholic beer is fine to enjoy, so why not check out one of my favorite breweries for some new flavors.
Cheers!