Beer drinkers rejoice: Your favorite brew may be healthier than you think. For years, wine drinkers have indulged without guilt, reveling in the news that red wine can help protect against heart disease. Recent research shows that beer can also be good for what ails you. It can even increase longevity.

Why would drinking lower stroke risk? “Alcohol has components that prevent blood clots and promote HDL (good) cholesterol,” says lead researcher Dr. Monik Jimenez. Fewer blood clots could account for fewer strokes. (And the boost in good cholesterol helps explain why moderate drinking may also lower the risk of heart disease.)

Beer has natural antioxidants and vitamins that can help prevent heart disease and rebuild muscle. It also helps reverse cellular damage, lower cholesterol, fight cancer, and kill viruses. And, beer provides better hydration than water alone.

According to the most comprehensive review to date of research into alcohol consumption and cardiovascular disease. Moderate drinking is associated with repeatedly proven cardiovascular benefits, based on an analysis of 84 studies over the past 60 years.

“Beer specifically has been associated with additional health outcomes, including lowering the risk of kidney stones in men compared to other alcoholic beverages, possibly due to its high water content and diuretic effect,” Giancoli said. “Compounds in hops may also slow the release of calcium from bone that is implicated in kidney stones. Additionally, beer drinkers seem to have a more protective effect towards greater bone mineral density due to the high content of silicone in beer.”

Two or three alcoholic drinks a day may prevent people, from having heart attacks or strokes after going through heart-bypass surgery, Italian researchers said.

The current research found that when women consumed between one-half to one drink a day, their risk of sudden cardiac death dropped by 36 percent.

(Reuters Health – May 5, 2010) - Moderate drinkers who continue the habit after suffering a heart attack may fare better than their counterparts who give up alcohol, a new study suggests.

Research carried out in Mediterranean countries found that persons who had diets full of fat had very low bad cholesterol, high good cholesterol and very low blood pressure. The key reason behind that was taking limited amount of red wine regularly. Two antioxidants namely resveratrol and flavonoids that are present in the skin and seeds of grape fruit are used for a chemical change process stay as the reason behind it.