Moderate consumption of light beer can fit into a low-cholesterol diet. Typically, when following a diet to lower your blood-cholesterol levels, you limit your dietary intake of fat and cholesterol. Since light beer contains no fat and no cholesterol, it is safe to consume. In fact, moderate alcohol intake may benefit your cholesterol levels.
High Cholesterol Foods
Following a low-cholesterol diet means avoiding or limiting your intake of high-cholesterol foods. Cholesterol containing foods come from animals. High-cholesterol intake occurs when you eat an excessive amount of meat, eggs, poultry, fish and dairy products. Since light beer is not derived from an animal, its cholesterol content is low.
Nutritional Content
If you enjoy beer and you are following a diet to lower your cholesterol, a light beer is a good choice. In one bottle of light beer, you consume just 103 calories, no fat and no cholesterol. The calorie content of your beer matters. Being overweight or obese contributes to a high-cholesterol level, so part of your cholesterol-lowering diet involves staying within a healthy weight. This is only achievable when you reduce your caloric intake to match your physical activity output.
Benefits of Beer
A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2003 found that moderate beer intake can reduce heart disease by controlling your cholesterol levels. Researchers divided 48 men into a beer group or mineral water group. Over 30 days, the two groups were told to drink 12 ounces of their respective beverage and to follow similar dietary habits. At the end of the study, researchers found favorable effects on the cardiovascular health of the beer drinkers, including a reduction in cholesterol levels.
Dietary Recommendations
According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, reducing cholesterol is achievable by making changes to your dietary habits. Reduce your fat intake to less than 7 percent of your total daily calories. A low-cholesterol diet should also limit cholesterol intake to 200 mg or less per day. When you follow this kind of eating plan, a light beer can fit into your diet.
References
- Mississippi State University: What Foods Contain Cholesterol?
- National Heart Lung and Blood Institute; High Blood Cholesterol: What You Need To Know; June 2005
- Centers for Disease Control; Balancing Calories; February 2011
- Science Daily; New Study Ties Moderate Beer Drinking To Lower Heart Attack Risk; January 2003
