College and beer go hand in hand -like the ballpark and a hot dog, or hot day and a popsicle. But what many students may not know -or choose to care about -is the nutritional value of our beloved, fermented concoction of hops, malt, yeast and water.
A 12-ounce can of regular (non-light) beer contains about 146 calories, the same amount as a can of soda. Ohio University students' light beer favorite Natural Light has about 100 calories. Keystone Light has 110 calories.
To put things in perspective, an order of small fries at McDonald's has 220 calories. So for every two cans of Keystone, it's as if you are eating one container of small fries.
According to the WebMD Health Web site (http://www.webmd.com), heavy drinkers may get up to half of their calories from alcohol alone, which can lead to the infamous beer belly.
OU student Kody Hoffman said he really does not mind the calories from beer; he actually wants them. I need to put on a little weight
he said.
Nutrition just isn't important when it comes to beer OU student Ashley Anderson said. Everyone knows that it's bad for you.
On top of being full of calories, beer also causes dehydration. It is a diuretic a substance that increases the body's excretions of water in the urine, according to http://www.webmd.com.
Beer decreases the effectiveness of a hormone called vasopressin that helps the body maintain water. Any fluid that is taken in goes right on out. Consuming 12 ounces of fluid with alcohol will only cause you to lose more than 12 ounces of fluid from your body.
This is what accounts for the late-night cottonmouth wake-ups that causes people to run to the bathroom and stick their mouthes under the faucet.
But with all this bad to beer, is there any good?
Well, besides the memories, beer in moderation -1 or 2 cans daily -can increase the elasticity in both small and large arteries as well as lower heart rate. Stiff arteries can trigger heart attacks and strokes, but a daily alcoholic beverage can help to loosen them.
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Paul Kita
