"Guinness is Good For You" is one of the most well-known advertising campaigns in history, but beyond the slogans and billboards, it seems there may have been a kernel of truth in the idea that everyone's favourite stout has a positive effect on the body.
a thing often linked to health benefits. In 2022, a study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that 22 men who had a bit over half a pint of beer every day for four weeks saw improvements in their intestinal health markers.
when digested and fermented within the gut.
According to Megan Rossi, a nutrition expert from King's College London and founder of The Gut Health Doctor, this is attributed to plant chemicals called polyphenols found in various beers, which are beneficial for gut bacteria. “Studies have proven that the gut bacteria can break down around 90% of polyphenols and transform them into chemicals, which can have anti-inflammatory effects,” she indicates.
However, Belgian Professor Jeroen Raes, who's investigated the possible effects of beer on the microbiome as part of the Flemish Gut Flora Project, warns that we still understand relatively little and that the alcohol within beer may nullify any positive findings.
I'm of the opinion that if beer has an effect on the gut, the impact will be relatively slight," he says. "And I'm not convinced that it's necessarily a positive one by definition.
But experts think that the latest research suggests that some beers may be better for you than others. Here are some gut-friendly recommendations, and some that perhaps it's best to leave on the shelf.
Gut-friendly beers
1. Guinness
Between the 1920s and the 1960s, marketing slogans like "My Goodness, My Guinness" and "Guinness for Strength" effectively established the brand, making it arguably the most well-known stout in the world.
However, it is thought that Guinness does not contain any substances that can help to build muscle mass, although it is rich in certain plant-based chemicals. "Many polyphenols are particularly high in Guinness," says Rossi. "We talk about diversity being good for the digestive system, and that's the same with drinks. So, if you drank a small amount of Guinness one evening, and a small amount of red wine another night, while sticking to the recommended alcohol limit, it's likely that you would get a broader range of these polyphenols."
2. Newcastle Brown Ale
It's not a health drink in itself, but some ales include more of these useful compounds in addition to yeast strains that are still present in the beer," remarks Federica Amati, a medical expert at Imperial College London. "They're unlikely to be alive, but there is an idea that even so, some sort of advantageous impact on our immune system could occur when they reach the gut.
3. Hoegaarden
Unlike most beers, Belgian beers such as Hoegaarden, Westmalle Tripel and Echt Kriekenbier are fermented twice, first in the brewery and again in the bottle. This second fermentation employs a different strain of yeast than the traditional brewer's yeast, which intensifies the beer's strength, but also means that it contains more potentially useful microbes.
“Even dead yeast can influence the balance of microorganisms in the gut, and may also affect how quickly food moves through the digestive system,” says Raes. “You can see the effect for yourself if you pour the beer at the end - the final pour will be a bit cloudier because it's full of yeast. My grandmother would say, 'I'll drink that because it's beneficial for my digestion', and while there may be some impact on gut motility, the relationship is not entirely clear.”
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You'll find that it's not only Belgian beers that come with beneficial yeast at the bottom. Amati points out that you can often spot this with craft beers or ales, especially those that have a darker tone.
"When you pull the cork out and take a look inside the bottle and notice a bit of sediment on the bottom, that's always a good indication," she says.
5. Stella Artois Unfiltered
If you're choosing to have a lager, the general guideline is to go for an unfiltered one. Many people like this because it allows for a more intricate flavour and scent, but it also means that there are potentially more beneficial chemicals still present in the drink.
“If you drink a roughly lengthy fermented and traditionally brewed beer, and not one that's been super filtered, you will get some of those polyphenols and yeast strains left in the beer,” says Amati.
The vast majority of beers on sale in UK supermarkets are heavily filtered, but some brands such as Stella Artois have started to launch unfiltered ranges.
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Drinking alcohol-free beers can deliver the benefits for your gut without the drawbacks of the actual alcohol. This particular brand is an excellent example of a darker, non-alcoholic ale which is more likely to contain beneficial plant compounds.
“Just what the low alcohol beer market needed,” says Amati, “is the fact that research suggests beer could have benefits for the microbiome. The studies that say this could be a welcome bonus, provided, of course, we're talking about darker coloured and more artisan ales.”
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Beers to avoid
1. Heineken
Aerated and carbonated lagers that have been heavily filtered are likely to contain fewer beneficial nutrients for gut health.
2. Budweiser Lager
Another filtered beer, this will have fewer polyphenols than an ale.
3. San Miguel
This popular lager is likely to have fewer microbes than twice-fermented Belgian beers.
4. Peroni
Similar to other filtered lagers, this beer will probably be light on beneficial plant compounds.
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If you're after a gut-friendly version, go for their unfiltered lager.
6. Heineken Alcohol-Free Lager
Lagers are less likely to have any genuine advantages for your digestive system.
It's not just lager – cider can be great too
According to Amati, there is some evidence suggesting that artisanal ciders - for example, Old Rosie Scrumpy Cider and Henry Westons Vintage Cider - can offer benefits for the gut microbiome.
"They tend to leave some of the actual fruit in the drink, so fermentation carries on for a bit longer,” she says. “The cloudier ciders are better, as they contain sugars known as polysaccharides, which stay suspended in the cider, and are good for feeding beneficial bacteria in the gut.”
Other drinks, reminiscent of medieval times, such as mead, which has seen a modern surge in London, are also believed to be beneficial for the digestive system. "All this ancient material produced in the past tends to use a lot of fibre from the fruit during its manufacture, which is why they may have some benefits," says Amati.
But, as always, restraint is crucial
However, all gut specialists are keen to stress that alcoholic drinks do not equate to health tonics and in many cases, any benefits for the gut are likely to be offset by the negative effects of alcohol on the body.
We're strongly encouraging people to drink in moderation," says Amati. "Drink for at least three days a week, and limit yourself to one drink on the days you do drink.
National Health Service guidelines advise that no more than 14 units of alcohol is consumed per week - this is equivalent to eight canned drinks of average strength (four per cent) beer - cautioning that excessive alcohol consumption increases the risk of a variety of cancers as well as heart and liver disease.
Rossi advises drinking no more than one or two glasses of alcohol at a time. "When we are discussing any anti-inflammatory benefits for the gut in these darker beers, that becomes pro-inflammatory after about two drinks," she explains. "That's because the alcohol starts to make the gut a little bit leaky, allowing things to pass from our gut into the bloodstream that wouldn't normally be there, and causing low-grade inflammation."
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