Is An IPA A Better Beer For Your Health?

A recent study runs contrary to all the bad news we’ve been hearing lately, about how drinking beer isn’t good for you. And it actually suggests that drinking IPAs might actually be beneficial to your health.

Here’s the deal…

On January, 3, US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy shocked the beer biz with a series of recommendations to increase awareness of alcohol-related cancer cases and deaths, including updating warning labels on alcohol beverages.

According to Newsmax, the World Health Organization declared in 2023 that “when it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health,” noting that “over half of the 3 million annual deaths linked to alcohol are due to non-communicable chronic diseases, including cancer.”

So, yeah, that’s all concerning news for beer fans, as well as those of us who work in the industry.

But according to new research in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, counters some of that bad news, by highlighting the health benefits that come with the “moderate” consumption of big hoppy IPAs.

Research into plant potential as a new medication against cancers, has shown that India Pale Ale can assist in promoting antigenotoxic and non-mutagenic effects, evidence to suggest that while some alcoholic drinks are described for containing “toxins,” reports the Drinks Business, “IPA beers do not damage the body in the same way.”

The study evaluated the genotoxic and mutagenic effects of moderate consumption of IPAs using  and 64 adult male Swiss mice who were divided into control and treatment groups, one group receiving water, another group only IPAs and another water infused with hops.

After a 30 day period, the mice were genetically evaluated and brain, liver, bone marrow and heart tissues and found no genotoxic and mutagenic problems.

The study concluded that this was because “the antigenotoxic action of IPA beer” led to a “reduction in DNA damage.” And that “moderate chronic consumption of IPA beer and hops infusion showed antigenotoxic effects” and “no antimutagenic action.”

Bottom line, the finding suggest that hops are the secret ingredient that make the India Pale Ale a healthier choice, which contradicts the US Surgeon General’s  recent announcement regarding the relationship between beer and cancer.

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