All women like a drink, but ales could be a smarter option
My idea for this post came from a few recent interviews published on the site.
Both Sarah Warman from BrewDog and Roger Protz, CAMRA's Good Beer Guide editor, talked to me about the differences between the male and female palate - more specifically, how bitter beer tastes more bitter to a woman than a man, and how that sensitivity tends to influence women's drink choices throughout life.
This got me thinking about the drinking habits of women in the UK, so I began doing some research.
There are HUNDREDS of studies and stats on the topic - no surprise there, but perhaps the surprise does come from who the main culprits are for overindulging on unhealthy booze.
Spoiler alert: it's all of us, ladies!
Of course, binge-drinking teens get a mention - Drink Aware's latest figures from five years ago show a decrease in the number of young women binge drinking (a new low at 17 per cent) but they're still the sector of society with the unhealthiest diet of all and still make up a huge part of the masses that swarm to party destinations Ibiza and Magaluf, where British police have now been called in to keep an eye on things - though, one officer arguably tried a bit *too hard* to blend in by admitting she got "sozzled" on the strip.
Anyway, it isn't just them. One major study from May this year found professional, educated women were much heavier drinkers than women without a degree, and declared Britain as one of the few countries in the world where women "appear to be drinking to keep up with men."
As quoted in the Telegraph:
"One in five women in England who has been to university regularly drinks too much, the report found – compared with one in ten of those with lower levels of education."
And it doesn't stop there. Findings from an Age UK study last month questioned the widely-held notion that we get older AND wiser.
As quoted in the Independent:
"This latest study...looked at 9,000 people and shows that the hardest drinkers are older, well-educated types who are comfortably off and lead sociable, health-conscious lives. “Our findings suggest that harmful drinking in later life is more prevalent among people who exhibit a lifestyle associated with affluence and with a ‘successful’ ageing process,” [Professor Jose Iparraguirre, economics chief of Age UK] concludes."
Drink Aware back this up - their focus has now shifted to the 45-64 year old age bracket.
Of course, we all know the key to a truly healthy lifestyle is 'everything in moderation' but since not one group of women is immune to the tempting nature of alcohol, surely it's better we drink something that's even just a little bit good for us?
Move aside red wine, because ale seems to be the real bevvy with benefits...
From what I found, pale and hoppy beers have the highest level of silicon of all the beers - an element which promotes strong bones AND prevents brittle ones.
But dark beers (stouts and porters) are claimed to have many more nutritional qualities, including but not limited to:
- Providing Vitamin D
- Reducing the risk of kidney stones
- Being full of fibre (which reduces cholesterol & improves heart health)
- Being full of iron (which is good for cell growth & general health - also bear in mind, women generally are at a greater risk of iron deficiency than men)
So look after yourselves (responsibly) with a beer, it could actually be just what the doctor ordered.