German scientists: beer is rich in vitamin B6, including non-alcoholic beer
A new study, the results of which were published in a respectable scientific journal, showed that a person can get a significant amount of a vitamin essential for the brain from beer, writes the BBC.
Photo: Matt Cardy / Getty Images
This is vitamin B6. It is beneficial for the brain, blood, and immune system and is found in many foods.
The authors of the study found that a glass of beer can provide about 15% of the vitamin B6 a person needs per day, and even non-alcoholic beer can be a source of the vitamin.
This vitamin is contained in beer ingredients — barley or wheat, as well as brewer's yeast — and it is not completely destroyed by the fermentation process.
Vitamin B6 can be obtained from a wide variety of foods. It is quite abundant in meat and fish, and is also found in oatmeal, potatoes, and chickpeas.
A severe deficiency of vitamin B6 is rare in humans, but sometimes its levels can be lowered — often simultaneously with other B vitamins, such as vitamin B12, a deficiency of which can lead to increased fatigue and nausea.
Which types of beer contain more vitamin
Having studied 65 different types of beer purchased in German supermarkets, the study authors found:
- The most B6 is found in strong German Bock beer. This is followed by regular lagers, then dark lagers, then wheat beer.
- The least B6 is in rice beer.
- Non-alcoholic beer, from which ethanol is removed after full fermentation, contains more vitamin B6 than non-alcoholic beer brewed using yeast that produces less ethanol.
- On average, a glass of lager provides 20% of the recommended daily dose of B6.
- One of the non-alcoholic beers tested provided almost 59%.
According to the recommendations of the British National Health Service, men need about 1.4 mg of vitamin B6 per day, and women need about 1.2 mg.
A liter of beer, as the study authors found, can contain from 0.3 mg to 1 mg.
According to the study author, Professor Michael Rychlik, this amount of vitamin is not enough for regulators to allow brewers to write about it on labels, but it is still a quite noticeable amount.
Professor Rychlik emphasizes that the study results may only be useful to consumers who "want to optimize their vitamin intake."
Traditional German Bock contains the most vitamin B6 because it has a higher alcohol content — from 6.5%.
The best source of vitamin B6 is food
Bridget Benelam from the British Nutrition Foundation says that vitamin B6 deficiency is rare among Britons because it is found in many foods.
"We would not recommend beer or any other alcoholic beverage as a primary source of nutrients. They should be part of a regular diet," she says. "It's highly unlikely that you would have a B6 deficiency, unless you have a very restricted diet."
According to Benelam, problems with this vitamin can arise, for example, in people with alcoholism or kidney diseases. In such cases, she recommends paying attention to other important B vitamins — B12 and riboflavin (B2), which are usually found in dairy products and animal foods.
"They are involved in metabolism and energy release," Benelam explains.
She advises vegans to obtain these vitamins from fortified milk substitutes and yogurts.