Beer, B6, and You Beer contains vitamin B6, which prevents the build-up of amino acid called homocysteine that has been linked to heart disease. Those who have high levels of homocysteine are usually more prone to an early onset of heart disease. A new study performed at the TNO Nutrition and Food Research Institute in Utrecht indicates that those who drink beer had no increase in theirhomocysteine level but those who drank wine or liquor had an increase of up to 10%. Also noted was the fact that those who drank beer experienced a 30% increase in vitamin B6 in their blood plasma, thereby proving that beer is actually healthier to drink than wine and other liquor. The study went on to say that those who consume moderate amounts of beer have a 30-40% lower rate of coronary heart disease compared to those who don't drink. Beer contains a similar amount of polyphenols (antioxidants) as red wine and 4-5 times as many polyphenols as white wine. Alcohol has also been attributed of its ability to increase the amount of good cholesterol (HDL) into the bloodstream as well as help to decrease blood clots. So go ahead and toast the New Year but just be sure to use beer! |
Take the Pledge Federal regulators have finally changed course and approved Los Angeles businessman Don Sessions' bid to include the Pledge of Allegiance on a beer can. Hard to believe but the patriotic label was initially was denied by the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Sessions, originally from Ripley, Okla., said the media attention for his Ol' Glory beer can design embarrassed regulators because the design clearly was protected by the First Amendment. "It's freedom of speech," said Sessions, 75. "They can't stop me from using the pledge." The bureau initially said the pledge violated a federal statute prohibiting labels with images and statements relating to the American flag. Sessions said he understands the controversy over his label, which emphasized the words "Under God" within the pledge. "It's about being a true American" he said. The red, white and blue design includes the phrase "A drink of Ol' Glory is a salute to America" and the iconic image of U.S. Marines at Iwo Jima. |
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Beer Law Gone Bad South Carolina has just banned beer and wine permits. Legislation authored by Republican State Rep. Mike Pitt was meant to make it easier for nonprofit groups to obtain temporary beer and wine permits but has inadvertently banned businesses and individuals from serving beer or wine. The wording of the new law, which was designed to allow nonprofit groups to file for multiple permits at once, prevents anyone other than those types of groups from obtaining temporary special-event permits. Because of the new law, which will take effect in January, the Department of Revenue will stop issuing permits to promoters, caterers and other event organizers. "Somebody screwed up," Tom Sponseller, head of the South Carolina Hospitality Association, said. We agree. |
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