Cholesterol is an essential fat that plays a critical role in the production of bile acids, steroid hormones and vitamin D. It is also a part of the flexible membrane that surrounds and protects every cell in your body. The liver packages cholesterol within molecules known as lipoproteins for transportation through the blood. However, high levels of lipoproteins can cause the deposition of fatty material in the arteries. This is one provenance of heart disease and strokes. Researchers have studied a wide variety of foods to see whether they can reduce cholesterol naturally. Evidence suggests that beer may have an effect, but the extent to which it can lower cholesterol is open to further studies.
Cholesterol in the Human Body
The human body makes much of the cholesterol that it needs within the liver. The remainder of the cholesterol must come from your diet --- up to 50 percent of it, in some cases. Doctors measure lipoproteins in your blood to determine heart disease risk. Lipoproteins fall under two broad classifications: low-density lipoproteins, or LDL for short, and high-density lipoproteins, or HDL. LDL is the type of cholesterol normally associated with heart disease. HDL transports cholesterol back to the liver for excretion and actually reduces the risk.
Sterols
Phytosterols are a type of steroid that naturally occurs in plants and animals along with cholesterol. They inhibit the absorption of dietary cholesterol in the human body. Based on this evidence, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has currently approved the use of phytosterols as a food additive. Barley malt, yeast and hops also contain phytosterols made from grains and might interfere with cholesterol uptake by competing for absorption within the digestive system.
Beer and Sterols
A 2007 study published in the "Journal of the Institute of Brewing" suggests that even a whole grain beer would not contain enough sterols to completely inhibit cholesterol uptake and transport. Standard lager beers had much lower levels. The study questioned whether most beers the researchers examined can contain enough phytosterols to significantly lower cholesterol levels.
Alcohol and HDL
There is another way in which beer may affect cholesterol levels. A moderate intake of alcohol, regardless of its source, is known to increase HDL. In 2008 a group of researchers from Spain published a study in the journal "Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases" that showed moderate beer consumption over a monthlong period was associated with an increase of HDL in healthy Spanish adults. Lipoproteins are made out of two different molecules: cholesterol and proteins. Presumably, alcohol increases HDL by affecting the transport rate of the proteins within the lipoprotein molecule. This confers a beneficial effect upon the risk of heart disease.
References
- "Journal of the Institute of Brewing"; Does Beer Contain Compounds That Might Interfere with Cholesterol Metabolism?; Robert Muller, et al.; 2007
- "Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases"; Effects of Moderate Beer Consumption on Blood Lipid Profile in Healthy Spanish Adults; J. Romeo, et al.; June 2008
- "Circulation"; Alcohol Consumption Raises HDL Cholesterol Levels by Increasing the Transport Rate of Apolipoproteins A-I and A-II; Elizabeth R. De Oliveira e Silva, et al.; 2000
