J. Inst. Brew. vol.111:3 (2005) Beer, Carbohydrates and Diet

Beer, Carbohydrates and Diet

C.W. Bamforth^1,2
¹ Department of Food Science & Technology, University of California,
Davis, CA 95616-8598, USA.
² E-mail: cwbamforth@ucdavis.edu

J. Inst. Brew. 111(3), 259–264, 2005 | VIEW ARTICLE

ABSTRACT
The enormous incidence of excess body weight in the population of the United States and the attendant risks that obesity brings has stimulated unprecedented interest in diets, especially those that do not leave an individual feeling hungry. In particular this has led to so-called ‘low carb’ diets. Beer has suffered unfairly through erroneous claims made in connection with at least one of these diets and has been unfairly categorised as being “high carb”. In the face of this – and despite the fact that the vast majority of beers contain low levels of so-called “carbs” – there have been certain brands specifically branded as low carb products. Brewers intent on marketing products that may genuinely be considered to be part of a “calorie counting” diet should focus on developing products of excellence that contain low levels of alcohol, the latter molecule being the major source of calories in most beers. They may also do more to press the claim of beer as being a source of “good carbs”, for the soluble fibre and prebiotic molecules that it contains and which are derived from the β-linked glucans and arabinoxylans that derive from the cereal cell walls.

Key words:
Alcohol, calories, carbohydrate, diet, fibre, glycemic, glycaemic index, glycaemic load, metabolism, obesity.