You may be an alcoholic if you talk to your beer... but what happens if it talks back? Creepy...

FOR YEARS, studies have claimed that the black cream of the Greenwood, Guinness stout, can actually be beneficial to one’s health. Researchers have found that antioxidant compounds in Guinness, similar to those found in certain fruits and vegetables, are responsible for health benefits that include strengthening the heart because of the way they slow down the deposit of harmful cholesterol on the artery walls.

Along these lines, you may be familiar with some of the artwork from the 1920s Guinness ad campaigns, in which colorful (sometimes rather odd) themes were used based on findings from market research. Perhaps most famous of all these was how people often told Guinness employees that they “felt good” after downing a pint (come on, who wouldn’t), thus birthing the popular slogan “Guinness is Good for You”. Later, Guinness was told to stop using the slogan, and since that time Diageo, the company that now manufactures Guinness, still will make no official health claims for the drink.

However, back in 2003 BBC News reported that a study performed around the time found a Guinness pint per day “may work as well as an aspirin to prevent heart clots that raise the risk of heart attacks.” Apparently, drinking lager beers does not yield all the same benefits, according to experts from the University of Wisconsin. The Wisconsin team tested the health-related benefits of stouts against lagers administering the brews to dogs who had narrowed arteries similar to those in heart disease (lucky dogs… no pun intended. This could hardly constitute poor treatment of animals in lab tests, eh?).

The studies found that dogs who were given Guinness to drink showed reduced clotting activity in their blood, whereas those who were given lagers yielded no such benefits. Another unique effect Guinness is also said to have is the ability to aid in replenishing lost blood. In Ireland, giving a pint of Guinness to blood donors was (and variously still is) a maintained practice, as this supposedly helps due to the drink’s rich iron content. Also, in England pregnant women sometimes drink Guinness for their health; again likely because Guinness is high in iron. Yes ladies, when it comes to your health, “a pint of plain is your only man”; or at least so the song says. Nonetheless, those who are concerned with alcohol consumption during pregnancy may opt instead for alternatives like Guinness Bread Mix, Grocery, 14-Ounces (Pack of 3) and other wholesome stuff made available for purchase online. That’s right; Guinness (often called “liquid bread”) even offers their own all natural, trans fat free and OU certified bread-mix, authentic right down to the actual recipe Guinness uses in their breweries.

So this Saint Patrick’s Day, go have a rich pint of the the black… for your health! And don’t forget: once you’ve received your delicious double-poured coffee nectar into your bowels, be sure and grin as you tell your bartender “I feel GOOD”!

Tags: Add new tag, alcohol, Guinness, Health, organic beveragess, Stout