Beer is actually good for your gut - and might even be better than probiotics

It's the best news the world has received all year.

Drinking beer could actually be beneficial to your health - and the better the beer, the healthier it is.

That is the message from Dalian Medical University in China, who have researched the health benefits of God's nectar. They concluded that the bacteria in booze helps your intestines and improves your immune system, and might even be better than probiotic drinks in that regard.

The authors said: "Beer is rich in many essential amino acids, vitamins, trace elements, and bioactive substances that are involved in the regulation of many human physiological functions.

"When beer is consumed in moderation, the phenols and other nutrients it contains are fermented and broken down by the microbial community that resides in the outer mucosal layer of the gut. In healthy non-smokers, beer acutely improves parameters of arterial function and structure.

"The positive effects of bioactive substances in beer in cancer prevention, reduction of cardiovascular events, and modulation of metabolic syndrome make it one of the candidates for microecological modulators."

Previous studies have also suggested that beer bacteria can also prevent heart disease and improve blood circulation - supported in this paper by a study of beer-drinking runners, who saw a reduced risk of upper respiratory tract disease.