Need another reason to choose craft beer?

Research suggests it’s healthier than red wine

Red wine may have to make room on its pedestal for craft beer, a new study suggests.

Tasty, independent and produced on a small scale, craft beer is booming in Canada. And something else: Craft beer may be better for you than a glass of red wine, according to Michael MCullough, an associate professor at California Polytechnic State University,

Thanks to its antioxidant content, red wine is well- entrenched as a “healthy” alcoholic beverage. Study after study has found links between antioxidants — particularly flavonoids such as resveratrol — and health benefits ranging from a reduced risk of heart disease and dementia.

“We all know that a glass of red wine is good for you, but it turns out a pint of craft beer is better, it has got more good things in it,” McCullough told the Australian Associated Press, referring to nutrients such as niacin ( vitamin B3) and brewer’s yeast.

“Your instances of heart disease and your instances of type 2 diabetes decreases on an amount that’s comparable, if not a little bit more, than if you are drinking red wine.”

McCullough’s findings apply to craft beer and not its industrial counterpart primarily because of the method of production. Craft beer is less pasteurized, he reportedly explained. And as with red wine consumption, moderation is key. Drinking to excess results in the negatives outweighing any potential health benefits.

According to Mayo Clinic, up to one 355- mL ( 12- oz) beer per day for women ( and men older than 65); and a maximum of two 355- mL ( 12- oz) beers a day for men 65 and younger qualifies as “moderate alcohol use.”