Beer, the best painkiller?
We all know the virtues of beer: the diuretic drink is also very hydrating, makes hair supple and shiny, strengthens bones, etc. But soon, an extra virtue of your favorite brown or blond beer will be able to added to these benefits...
According to a study by researchers from the University of Greenwich, published in 2017 in "The Journal of Pain", beer can even relieve physical pain better than paracetamol.
How is that possible? It seems that increasing the alcohol level in the blood gives our body "a slight improvement in the resistance threshold" and "largely reduces the intensity of pain", the authors of the study report.
Following this discovery, the experts would like to find out exactly how alcohol influences the perception of pain by acting directly on the receptors of the brain. How alcohol reduces anxiety, which in turn leads to a reduction in pain perception, is also a subject for further research.
Trevor Thompson, who led this study, explained at the time that alcohol could be compared to opioids (substances that resemble opium but are not chemically related to it), which are more active against pain than paracetamol. Based on this discovery, the expert wants to create an equally effective painkiller, but without the harmful side effects of alcohol.
That said, even if beer is portrayed as a magic potion in this study, it should, like other alcoholic beverages, be consumed in moderation! Cheers!
(MH with FVDV and Jag EVG for Tagtik/Picture: YesMore content via Unsplash)
