Top European scientists and researchers, addressing the Sixth Beer and Health Symposium in Brussels, showed that moderate beer consumption among adults can be consistent with a healthy lifestyle.

One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well- Virginia Woolf

The symposium 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.

Human Nutrition at Wageningen University head, Frans Kok, who chaired the symposium, said: “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.”

Welcoming the scientific conclusions, Pierre-Olivier Bergeron,secretary general of The Brewers of Europe said: “It is important for policymakers to have the full picture when considering approaches to tackling alcohol misuse.”

“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,” he said.

For more information, visit www.beerandhealth.eu.