Is beer a good sports beverage?

National Academy of Sports Medicine

No. Alcoholic beverages are not appropriate for sports, before, during, or right after. Alcohol slows motor skills and can cause dehydration, so it is an extremely poor choice of beverage for sport. Due to the marketing campaigns of many alcoholic beverage companies that affiliate their products with an “active lifestyle,” people mistakenly partner the two. Alcohol plus exercise is a recipe for a trip to the hospital, not a trip to the gym.

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Important: This content reflects information from various individuals and organizations and may offer alternative or opposing points of view. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs.

Alcohol & Health

Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol daily, such as one to two 12-ounce beers or 5-ounce glasses of wine, was once thought to offer certain health benefits, particularly for heart health. However, those benefits have increasingly been questioned, and experts have become more aware of the risks, including liver disease and several types of cancer. And excessive drinking is known to lead to serious health problems, such as strokes, dementia, pancreatitis, high blood pressure and dementia. Factoring in all the risks of benefits, some researchers now conclude that no level of drinking is completely safe.

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