The aged-long belief is that beer consumption has huge implication for health, which is why a lot of potential patrons of beer have been a little wary about getting accustomed to the green bottle.
But for experts who know, the whole narrative about the ills associated with beer is misconstrued. The cross-section experts including: scientists, scholars, nutritionist, medics, media, entertainment aficionados, alcoholic beverage industry and other stakeholders raised their voices above the din at the Nigerian Breweries annual symposium on beer, which held penultimate Wednesday, at the Latala Hall of Eko Hotels & Suites.
The event tagged: ‘Beer and Health’, ‘Beer and Life style’ and ‘Beer and Culture’ drew participants from far and near.
Speaking at the event, Professor Bartholomew Okolo, a Professor of Applied Microbiology and a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in his paper titled: ‘The Social and Cultural Roles of Beer in Society,’ explained that in all societies, beer plays an important role not only in major life-cycle events, such as birth and death, but also in minor everyday transitions.
According to him, in studies conducted in various parts of the world, beer drinking venues have been identified as the most important venues for promoting interactions and friendships between people from diverse backgrounds.
“The Nigerian beer parlour is an example of such an institution where you could find a lawyer having a beer next to a plumber or a doctor having a beer next to a tailor. You could also find a professor having a beer next to a banker. In such circumstances, people can offer all sorts of support and even professional advice at no cost. It is possible to explore such settings for other benefits including security and commerce, for example in the creation of cooperatives societies,” he said.
Okolo added that alcoholic drinks are a symbolic vehicle for identifying, describing, constructing and manipulating cultural values and interpersonal relationships. In all cultures, he remarked that different alcoholic beverages are classified in terms of their social meaning. Every drink therefore connotes a symbolic meaning and conveys a message.
“In the present day African tradition, beer is a regular feature on the list of items that must be presented at various stages of the marriage process. It must also be present during such other ceremonies as funeral rites, coronations, peace missions, special invitations, among others.”
Echoing similar sentiments, former governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke emphasised that beer plays a significant role in the sustenance of good health and cultural cohesion.
Duke who was the chairman of the third Nigerian Beer Symposium noted that not only is beer low in carbohydrates, it is as all-natural as orange juice and milk.
“You see, beer has no need for preservatives because of the alcohol and hops- both of which are natural preservatives. The only processing beer undergoes is the same as with bread. it is cooked and fermented, filtered and packaged,” he said.
The former governor maintained that it is most astounding that beer has no fat or cholesterol and when taken in moderation, beer can tilt high- density lipoprotein levels (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol rations in the right direction.
“HDL are good cholesterols that protect your veins while LDL is the bad kind that builds up in your veins. Beer actually flushes the system and can boost the HDL by up to 4 percent with just a single beer a day,” the former governor remarked.
He noted that the most amazing beer and health connection is something called xanthohumol that inhibits cancer-causing enzymes. “I have always wondered about theFrench. You see, their diet consist of rich, highly fatty foods, wine and those cigarettes. Yet, their rate of heart disease is significantly less than the rest of the world. This has been credited to red wine and the antioxidants it contains, which helps prevent heart attacks. Interestingly, beer just has as many antioxidants as red wine,” he said.
Duke also added that beer is a lot safer than the local bottled water. “If you find yourself someplace where you are advised not to drink the local water, the local beer is always a safer bet. It is a lot safer than the local bottled water. So just follow the rules of beer drinking and you will be fine,” he advised.
Managing Director of Nigerian Breweries Plc, Mr. Nicolaas Vervelde also stressed that the objective of the symposium has been to highlight and share contemporary knowledge on the wonderful product called beer.
“The summary from the last two symposiums is that beer when taken regularly and in moderation has very many defined nutritional and health benefits and can indeed be part of a healthy life style,” he noted.
On the feedback received so far from the previous symposiums, the NB henchman stated that “the message is being heard and accepted. We are encouraged that people are appreciating more the unique benefits of beer and the need to enjoy it in moderation.”
Despite the very strong ties between beer and culture, Vervelde emphasised that the wrong use or abuse of beer can indeed have undesirable consequences.
One of the highlights of the occasion however was when 88years old Ted Mukoro, a veteran advertising expert maintained that beer is certainly the least alcoholic of all drinks and also the healthiest and most nutritious, drinking heartily from a can of Star Larger to buttress his point.
According to him, like all enjoyable and exciting things made by nature- alcohol, sex, sports, dancing, beer can be irresponsibly abused or over-used. “Nothing enjoyable is bad until put to the wrong use,” he said.
One of the discussants, a popular blogger, Noble Igwe however maintained that the giant brewery still has a lot to do in the area of awareness so that consumers will restrict themselves to moderate drinking in other to benefit from the nutritional contents of the alcoholic beverage.
“Waiters and waitresses should be educated to stop serving tipsy customers more beer even if the customers insist on more while bar owners should discourage drinkers from strategically placing empty bottles of beer on their table, as a way of showing off how far they can go,” he advised.
Dr. Ugoh Eronini, Medical Doctor, Military Hospital Ikoyi, called on Nigerian Breweries not to rest on its oars but to continue in educating the public on the gains of moderate drinking. He also said that everything should be done to stop the sale of alcohol to under aged children.
