Brussels, 20 September 2011: The Brewers of Europe welcome the outcomes of the 6th Beer and Health Symposium where top European scientists and researchers showed that moderate beer consumption among adults can be consistent with a healthy adult lifestyle.
The Symposium[i] highlighted the potential health benefits of moderate beer consumption ranging from a lower risk for cardiovascular disease to positive effects on bone mineral density to benefits accrued from nutrients specific to beer.
“Research presented at the Symposium shows that moderate consumers have a lower risk of mortality than both abstainers and excessive consumers” commented Prof. Frans Kok, head of the Division of Human Nutrition at Wageningen University, Chair of the Symposium.
Prof. Kok added, “It is important to emphasise that beneficial effects are conferred only by moderate consumption and that the pattern of consumption and the associated diet and lifestyle are also important.” He stated that misunderstandings about the health impact of beer persist among citizens and said, “As scientists active in researching these areas, we have a role to play in addressing these myths, supported by the latest scientific findings.”
Welcoming the scientific conclusions, Pierre-Olivier Bergeron, Secretary General of The Brewers said, “It is important for policymakers to have the full picture when considering approaches to tackling alcohol misuse.” He added, “EU citizens, who are exposed daily to stories of alcohol abuse and often misinformation about moderate beer consumption’s relationship to health, should also be informed of the benefits, not just risks.”
The current EU policy framework to reduce alcohol-related harm, which Europe’s brewers support, is targeted at alcohol misuse and the minority who abuse alcohol. “The Symposium reconfirmed that the problem is harmful drinking, not individual products.” Bergeron continued, “This is extremely important when it comes to identifying what are the best approaches to tackling alcohol misuse.”
A two-pager of Key Outputs from the Symposium are available on the event website: www.beerandhealth.eu whilst the presentations themselves will be uploaded in due course.
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Media contact:
Simon Spillane
Senior Advisor – Beer & Society and Communications
The Brewers of Europe
23-25 Rue Caroly
1050 Brussels
Tel: +32 (0)2 551 1810
Website: www.brewersofeurope.org
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[i] http://www.beerandhealth.eu/php/index2.php?doc_id=24