When it comes to finding alternatives to alcohol, one of the simplest options available is to switch to the non-alcoholic option. There are a number of non-alcoholic drinks available, from mocktails and non-alcoholic wine to non-alcoholic beer.
As with all beverages, some anxieties or physical health problems can be experienced, leading you to wonder “Is non-alcoholic beer bad for you?”. The short answer is no, non alcoholic beer is not bad for your liver and is significantly better for your physical and mental health than normal alcoholic beer.
Without alcohol, you don’t need to worry about negative social or mental effects, such as picking fights or drunk driving, as you are still completely under your own control. You also have the added benefit of not having a hangover the next day after drinking.
Non-alcoholic beer tastes the same as typical alcoholic beer, and if poured out or viewed from a distance is very difficult to tell the difference. This can be very helpful if you feel pressured to drink while at a bar or party, and no one but you needs to know that you’re drinking non-alcoholic beer if you don’t want to.
Although you may be wondering, ‘is non-alcoholic beer bad for me?’, it is important to compare it to alcoholic drinks.
Like every liquid other than water, non-alcoholic beer must be drunk in moderation. While the effects of drinking too much non-alcoholic beer won’t be the same as if you drink normal alcoholic beer, it still runs the risk of health issues, as they tend to be high in sugar. Just like if you drink too many sugary drinks, you may end up with issues with your teeth or with your weight.
Some people may also be trying to use non alcoholic beer as a way to replace normal alcoholic beer which is an excellent short-term method and can be very beneficial if you have previously suffered with alcohol abuse. In the long run, an alcohol addiction can cause a variety of negative physical problems, so non alcoholic beer is much better for you than binge drinking alcohol.
Although non alcoholic beer is certainly better than an alcohol addiction, it is still not healthy, so it should be drunk in reasonable moderation.
Can Non-alcoholic Beer Cause Liver Damage?
One of the biggest dangers that comes from drinking normal alcoholic beer is the long-term effects it can have on your body. Especially as beer is bad for your liver after long term use. As your liver helps your body filter out toxins, constantly bombarding it with alcohol can cause serious liver damage and even lead to liver failure.
Now the important question – is non-alcoholic beer bad for your liver?
Again the simple answer is no, non-alcoholic beer is not bad for your liver. In fact, a study conducted by the Journal of Alcohol and Alcoholism found that there is no correlation between non-alcoholic beer and liver damage in healthy adults. However, this is for people who are healthy and didn’t drink healthily in the past.
In some non-alcoholic beers, there may be small amounts of alcohol. Because of this, if you already have liver damage, it is recommended that you avoid any form of beer as it could still prove harmful.
This can also cause people issues if they just happen to already have liver conditions such as cirrhosis of the liver as their body can’t filter the small amounts of alcohol out.
Impacts of Non-Alcoholic Beer on Liver Health
When it comes to a healthy liver, the best thing you can drink is lots of water, as water doesn’t contain toxins that your liver needs to filter out.
Non-alcoholic beer contains small amounts of alcohol, so it still has something that needs to be filtered out. While this amount is normally too small to do any harm to anyone who doesn’t already have serious liver problems, that doesn’t change the fact that it shouldn’t be drunk regularly.
Non-alcoholic beer is not damaging your liver so long as you don’t go overboard. You need to be sensible with how much you drink and continue to drink enough water to counteract its effects, as well as watch your sugar intake.
Is Non-Alcoholic Beer Better For Your Health?
The short and simple answer about whether non-alcoholic beer is better for your health than alcoholic beer is yes. Let’s break it down nicely and simply so you can understand that non-alcoholic beer is much better than alcoholic beer.
First of all, long-term alcohol abuse, which is often defined as regularly having more than 14 units of alcohol a week, can cause serious long-term health problems.
These health problems include:
- Vulnerable to types of cancer
- Liver damage
- Heart damage
- Kidney damage
- Unable to receive organs
- Infertility
- Impotence
- Brain damage
- Higher risk of dementia
- Higher risk of depression
- Higher risk of anxiety
- Alcohol poisoning/Alcohol overdosing
It is very easy for alcohol to lead to early death or health problems. While non-alcoholic beer massively reduces these risks, beer can still be enjoyed without this danger.
Next, there are actually some beer benefits that you can get from the non-alcoholic version. Non-alcoholic beer contains antioxidants, minerals and a lot of vitamin B, which can be beneficial for your mental and physical health. It also tends to be lower in calories than alcoholic beer and even offers some help with reducing abdominal bloating and fat to aid in weight loss.
When there is a clear link between beer and liver problems health problems, and so many more issues, it is clear that non-alcoholic beer is the better choice.
It is just important that you remember that, just like everything, it must be had in moderation. Exchanging alcohol abuse for non-alcohol beer abuse may sound better, but in the long run, it is still feeding an alcohol addiction. If you feel as though you are trying to use non-alcoholic beer as a crutch for an addiction or just a bad drinking habit, then there are people you can talk to.
There are always healthier options available for you. All you need to do is know where to look. Non-alcoholic beer for a healthy person drank in moderation is not bad for your liver. But if you are dependent on it, then it just may be bad for your mental health. Get in touch with us today or phone on 0800 001 4070 if you are struggling with addiction.
