Will today's well-stocked medicine cabinet now hold a bottle of beer? 

According to 10 years of scientific research, the answer is, "Yes."

The next time someone says that beer isn't good for you, smile smugly, hold up your beer mug and tell him or her they are wrong!

Worldwide research done over the past decade shows that beer drinkers enjoy a multitude of health benefits from the amber ale.

First and foremost, beer drinkers are less likely to die from heart attacks. That comes straight from Harvard University. According to an April 2001 issue of the Harvard Gazette, heart disease sufferers who drink about 2 glasses of beer a day are less likely to suffer heart failure.

In the past, it was believed that only wine provided health benefits because of a chemical found in grapes. But Harvard researchers say it's not the grapes; it's the alcohol in the beer or wine that brings about the positive results.

Later, a 2003 study done by Israeli researchers showed that male heart patients who drank a glass of beer a day also reduced their risk of heart attacks because of changes to blood chemistry.

And across the world, an Australian study of nearly 3000 senior men found that those men who drank beer everyday were also less likely to suffer with heart problems.

Studies have also shown beer reduces the risk of strokes because beer lowers the stroke-causing protein: fibrinogen.

In a 2002 Texas South Western University study, researcher Dr. Norman Kaplan concluded that beer drunk in moderation could lower occurrences of bad cholesterol. That's the waxy substance that builds up in the artery walls of our circulation system causing heart attacks.

And there's more to the story.

Beer lovers may have a better chance of maintaining good eyesight. Beer or ale contains antioxidants. A glass of beer a day could provide the antioxidants necessary to reduce the risk of eye cataracts.

Need another reason to have a glass of bubbly?

The hops and barley used to make beers and ales are full of the vitamins necessary for good nervous system and brain health: Vitamin B.

And here's a little something to share with your wife or mother-in-law - modest beer drinking by itself won't cause a beer belly. In 2003, both British and Czech researchers concluded there is no scientific evidence supporting weight-gain among beer drinkers.

After examining nearly 2000 Czech men and women (considered the biggest consumers of beer in the world), no link between beer consumption and stomach size or weight was found.

In fact, compared to yogurt and fruit juice smoothies; beer is actually less fattening.

Does that mean you can make beer a primary source of your diet, morning, noon and night? Of course not. Just as you wouldn't drink a steady diet of orange juice, beer should be consumed in moderation.

Researchers further caution that beer drinking can only be good when drinkers avoid other ill-health producers like smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise and over-drinking.

About the Author - William Swan