Boost Your Immunity with Beer… Yes, please!

Scientists from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have filed for patents for a brewing technique that incorporates probiotics into a sour beer that may boost immunity and improve gut health. “The health benefits of probiotics are well known,” Chan Mei Zhi Alcine, of the Food Science and Technology Program at NUS, said in a press release to UPI. “While good bacteria are often present in food that have been fermented, there are currently no beers on the market that contain probiotics. Developing sufficient counts of live probiotics in beer is a challenging feat as beer contains hop acids that prevent the growth and survival of probiotics. As a believer of achieving a healthy diet through consuming probiotics, this is a natural choice for me when I picked a topic for my final-year project.”

The beer uses the Lactobacillus paracasei bacteria strain which is known to be able to neutralize toxins and viruses. NUS researchers have come up with a way to change the fermentation processes to keep live strains of the probiotic in the beer. Chan Mei Zhi Alcine also stated, ” For this beer, we used a lactic acid bacterium as a probiotic micro-organism. It will utilize sugars present in the wort to produce sour-tasting lactic acid resulting in a beer with sharp and tart flavors. The final product, which takes around a month to brew, has an alcohol content of about 3.5 percent.”

So if you are a beer connoisseur  who is looking to boost their gut health, then this may be your answer. In the meantime, order your beer with a hot dog and sauerkraut and keep your bases covered.