Beer vs. Soda: Which is Worse for Your Health?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Cyrus
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Beer
AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers around the health implications of drinking beer versus soda. Participants express a general consensus that soda, with its high sugar and acid content, is worse for health compared to moderate beer consumption. Many argue that beer lacks the harmful chemicals found in soda and can even offer some nutritional benefits, such as fiber and B vitamins. However, there is caution against daily alcohol consumption, with suggestions to limit it to special occasions. Some participants share personal experiences, noting a preference for beer over soda due to its less damaging effects on dental health and overall well-being. The conversation also touches on caffeine consumption from drinks like coffee and energy drinks, which some participants view as equally harmful. Overall, the thread emphasizes moderation and the relative health risks associated with both beverages, with a leaning towards beer being the lesser evil when consumed responsibly.
Cyrus
Messages
3,237
Reaction score
17
Serious question. I drink a beer once a day, usually in the afternoon. Sometimes two. I know that most people drink at least one soda a day. Which is worse for you? I think drinking a soda a day is has got to be much worse for you considering it has lots of acid, and sugar.

Also, beer doesn't have nasty chemicals in it like soda does. I've tried many different beers (probably over 50, and going up), but I like a simple Budweiser in a bottle. I'm drinking on right now and boy does it hit the spot.

I used to be a hugeeeeeeeeeee soda addict. But I got tired of all that sugar. I really enjoy a good cold pepsi with ice cubes. But now I find myself wanting beer more than soda. I don't like the way soda is so harsh on my teeth. The acid destroys the enamel.


Which one is worse?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
I just spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday out on four wheelers drinking about 25 beers a day and I've got to say a soda sounds much preferable today.
 
Alcoholics
 
Last night I had a red bull. They don't keep me wired up like coffee does, but I couldn't sleep until 4am. Which isn't too bad, considering with nothing I usually go to bed around 3:30 easily (Im a night person). But when I woke up my head felt swollen - like I had to move my head side to side fast like a dog does. I think I'm going to have to stop drinking Red bull. I gave up coffee because at one point I was drinking coffee and red bull and that cafine really made by body crash. The more and more I drank it the more and more tired I became. After about 3 days of drinking caffine I just stopped and had much more energy the next day.

I think I'm done with Coffee (except rare occasions), Red Bull (I like the taste though!), and soda (for the most part). I'm sticking with beer.
 
Pengwuino said:
Alcoholics

This thread is for real men, not boys.

BTW: Alcoholic means a dependency on alcohol.
 
Cyrus said:
Which one is worse?

Pessimist. Which one is BETTER!
 
tribdog said:
Pessimist. Which one is BETTER!

Real man of geniusssssss.
 
I never drink redbull or coffee. Try to keep those drinks to a minimum. They are not good.

Soda is also an awful drink for your body, avoid it. You can do it at most once or twice a week.

Beer every day?, You should stop that, too. Alcohol everyday is not recommended. You can search about this.

Keep the beer and other alcohol beverages for the fridays and weekends, or special events.
 
Cyclovenom said:
Keep the beer and other alcohol beverages for the fridays and weekends, or special events.

Why? I didn't say I binge on beer every day.
 
  • #10
Cyclovenom said:
I never drink redbull or coffee. Try to keep those drinks to a minimum. They are not good.

Soda is also an awful drink for your body, avoid it. You can do it at most once or twice a week.

Beer every day?, You should stop that, too. Alcohol everyday is not recommended. You can search about this.

Keep the beer and other alcohol beverages for the fridays and weekends, or special events.

You can definitely also search one alcoholic beverage a day. I am talking about just one, not binge drinking daily.
 
  • #11
I used to drink soda on a daily basis but I thankfully change to beer, I think it’s much better than soda, I like pomegranate or apple flavored beer [non alcoholic:biggrin:]…man so refreshing especially when cooled enough almost freezed :-p
 
Last edited:
  • #12
Considering that for quite some time fresh water was very rare and many people drank beer or wine on a daily basis I don't think it can be that bad for you.

http://nutrition.about.com/od/hydrationwater/a/beer_Nutrition.htm

http://www.nowpublic.com/health/one-beer-day-increases-liver-and-bowel-cancer-risk

Personally I drink one bourbon, one scotch, and one beer.
Unfortunately I still can't sing the blues. :-/
 
  • #13
Considering most soda today is sweetened with a chemical concoction of sweetner, and that beer only has sugar for a short time during brewing to supply the yeast with energy to produce the alcohol content --- I would say that beer is better. But if you look at the front end of my car I should have drank a soda instead.
 
  • #14
TheStatutoryApe said:
Considering that for quite some time fresh water was very rare and many people drank beer or wine on a daily basis I don't think it can be that bad for you.

http://nutrition.about.com/od/hydrationwater/a/beer_Nutrition.htm

http://www.nowpublic.com/health/one-beer-day-increases-liver-and-bowel-cancer-risk

Personally I drink one bourbon, one scotch, and one beer.
Unfortunately I still can't sing the blues. :-/

Yes this is fine, but it depends largely on your diet and the amount of beer taken.

Cyrus, it's fine, as long as one beer per day doesn't mean a jar... :smile:
 
  • #15
Cyrus said:
I drink a beer once a day, usually in the afternoon. Sometimes two.

Don't go too crazy
 
  • #16
getitright said:
But if you look at the front end of my car I should have drank a soda instead.

Wow, you're way cool, bragging about drink-driving :rolleyes:

As for the OP, I think I agree with you, Cyrus, in that a beer a day is better for you than a soda a day. It's also much nicer: a cold beer after a long day's work is delicious!
 
  • #17
My main point was that most people would say "oh, don't drink a beer a day!" without ever stopping to realize how bad drinking all that soda is. I wonder how the nutritional value of the two compare?
 
  • #18
tribdog said:
I just spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday out on four wheelers drinking about 25 beers a day and I've got to say a soda sounds much preferable today.

I hope you also had lots of spicey/smoked barbecue?
 
  • #19
Cyrus said:
My main point was that most people would say "oh, don't drink a beer a day!" without ever stopping to realize how bad drinking all that soda is. I wonder how the nutritional value of the two compare?

Given your specification of moderate alcohol consumption, soda is worse because you don't need to control the quantity. I normally drink 1/2 to 1 gallon of water per day and could easily drink 2+ liters of soda if alternatively available...not possible (and work) with beer.
 
  • #20
Cyrus said:
Also, beer doesn't have nasty chemicals in it like soda does. ... Budweiser
Some would argue about that

Beer contains no fat
Beer is low in sugar.
Beer is a source of soluble fiber which is derived from the cell walls of malted barley. A liter of beer contains an average of 20% of the recommended daily intake of fiber and some beers can provide up to 60%.
Beer has no cholesterol.
Beer contains significant amounts of magnesium, selenium, potassium, phosphorus, biotin, and is chock full of B vitamins.
Beer has about 150 calories in 12oz
(from the campaign for real ale)

It's practically a health food
 
  • #21
I thought that alcohol is bad for your body! I almost lost my grandpa to alcohol His doctor said that if he ever has another drink, he will die...He has been sober for quite a few years now.
 
  • #22
It's practically a health food

ok, time for the old joke :approve:

Well you see,it's like this...

A herd of animals can only move as fast as the slowest one.
And when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest ones at the back that are killed first.

This natural selection is good for the herd as a whole, because the general speed and health of the whole group keeps improving by the regular killing of the weakest members.

In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells.

Now, as we know, excessive intake of alcohol kills brain cells.
But naturally, it attacks the slowest and weakest brain cells first.

Regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine.

And that is why you always feel smarter after a few beers.

:rolleyes:
 
  • #23
mcknia07 said:
I thought that alcohol is bad for your body! I almost lost my grandpa to alcohol His doctor said that if he ever has another drink, he will die...He has been sober for quite a few years now.


"Those who drank between 1 to 3 drinks per day had a 42% lower risk of developing dementia than the nondrinkers. Those who did not drink daily but had more than one drink per week day had a 25% lower risk of developing dementia than the nondrinkers. One final point, it did not seem to matter what people drank, (beer, wine or liquor), the effect was the same."
The Lancet January 2002

"Why mortality from heart disease is low in France" (answer - red wine)
BMJ. 2000 January 22
 
  • #24
mcknia07 said:
I thought that alcohol is bad for your body! I almost lost my grandpa to alcohol His doctor said that if he ever has another drink, he will die...He has been sober for quite a few years now.

The alcohol is bad for you, particularly in large quantities. Its the other things in beer and wine that can be beneficial to the health.

And if your grandfather's liver is shot then it will not filter out the alcohol and it will run continuously through his system until it finds some other way out of his blood stream. Alcohol gets worse for you the further you are along and the more damage that has been done to your system.
 
  • #25
Alfi said:
Regular consumption of beer eliminates the weaker brain cells, making the brain a faster and more efficient machine.

And that is why you always feel smarter after a few beers.

:smile:

Actually, Drizzle hit upon a really good compromise. A good .5% beer like O'Douls tastes almost like the real thing. You can slug 10 of them and it's the equivalent of one regular beer.
 
  • #26
Danger said:
:smile:

Actually, Drizzle hit upon a really good compromise. A good .5% beer like O'Douls tastes almost like the real thing. You can slug 10 of them and it's the equivalent of one regular beer.

Do they have any low or non-alcohol beers that are not light? I think that New Castle is the lightest beer I have ever enjoyed.
 
  • #27
TheStatutoryApe said:
The alcohol is bad for you, particularly in large quantities. Its the other things in beer and wine that can be beneficial to the health.

And if your grandfather's liver is shot then it will not filter out the alcohol and it will run continuously through his system until it finds some other way out of his blood stream. Alcohol gets worse for you the further you are along and the more damage that has been done to your system.

I think his liver is shot.

I did hear, once, that red wine is good for you, but I was too scared to believe it. What does the red wine do for you?
 
  • #29
mcknia07 said:
I think his liver is shot.

I did hear, once, that red wine is good for you, but I was too scared to believe it. What does the red wine do for you?

Make your teeth yellow.
 
  • #30
mcknia07 said:
I think his liver is shot.

I did hear, once, that red wine is good for you, but I was too scared to believe it. What does the red wine do for you?

Red wine is a particularly rich source of antioxidants flavonoid phenolics, so many studies to uncover a cause for red wine's effects have focused on its phenolic constituents, particularly resveratrol and the flavonoids. Resveratrol, found in grape skins and seeds, increases HDL cholesterol and prevent blood clotting. Flavonoids, on the other hand, exhibit antioxidant properties helping prevent blood clots and plaques formation in arteries.
http://www.healthcastle.com/redwine-heart.shtml
I knew that it was supposed to be good for your heart but didn't know the exact reasons so I found them for you. :-)
There are similar reasons that beer is good for you which are talked about in a link I posted earlier. There was also another article I found and linked in the same post about raised risk of certain types of cancer from drinking either of them daily.
 
  • #31
I tried this drink last night I think it was only peach flavoured water [slightly sugared], it was really cold and good too, but I don’t know if it’s considered as a soda drink or is it as bad as these sodas, I’d like to know?
 
  • #32
The real question is should you drink beer or wine. I say six of one, half a dozen of the other.
 
  • #33
Ease up just a bit Cristo. Your point is made, but my reply includes humor and sarcasm, and I'm poor at both. I don't think anything on this site qualifies as role model material. BTW... I haven't had a traffic ticket since I was 22 and that was 21 years ago.
 
  • #34
There are detailed negative health effects from consuming beer and soda regularly. Long-term negative health effects of beer consumption can include memory deficits, liver issues, and impairing verbal and motor skills. Don't forget hangover. It can also have a direct impact on level of triglycerides and beer actually does contain energy ("calories").

Similarly, there are sodas without added sugar or caffeine.
 
  • #35
Moridin said:
There are detailed negative health effects from consuming beer and soda regularly. Long-term negative health effects of beer consumption can include memory deficits, liver issues, and impairing verbal and motor skills. Don't forget hangover. It can also have a direct impact on level of triglycerides and beer actually does contain energy ("calories").

Similarly, there are sodas without added sugar or caffeine.

Hangover from one beer? Mmmmmmm.....no.
 
  • #36
Cyrus said:
Hangover from one beer? Mmmmmmm.....no.

Maybe not for someone with a high tolerance of alcohol :biggrin:
 
  • #37
You would have to be a 70 lb 8 year old to get a hang over from one beer.
 
  • #38
Cyclovenom said:
Keep the beer and other alcohol beverages for the fridays and weekends, or special events.

I do say that after baby Ellie is born and nursed, I do want one good cold beer! The postpartum info I got today says nothing against that. Think my hubby can sneak it into me at the hospital, or will I have to wait til discharge?

I personally don't really see the harm in one beer a day, had responsibly. Personally, it helps my tendency towards insomnia... til the baby's born, I'm resolved just to be low key about work... and I'm getting by on tall glasses of ice water.
 
  • #39
Cyrus said:
You would have to be a 70 lb 8 year old to get a hang over from one beer.

Sounds like you are speaking from experience :-p


I myself enjoy a nice soda. Mainly because I am looking for a stimulant and my tastebuds are not use to coffee.
 
  • #40
One beer a day is not going to hurt you. If your body can't handle that then there is something else wrong with you that has nothing to do your beer intake. Once you reach adulthood I don't think there is even anything wrong with binge drinking. At least I've never seen any studies that said anything bad about it. Before you are an adult you can do a lot of damage with alcohol and if you are getting drunk everyday as an adult you can do damage, but one or two or three beers a day isn't going to hurt anything.
 
  • #41
physics girl phd said:
Think my hubby can sneak it into me at the hospital, or will I have to wait til discharge?

:biggrin:
Hubby should walk in with a six-pack right after the delivery and announce, "You done good sweetheart, so I brung you a present" Preferably, he'll be wearing a jeans and an old undershirt.
 
  • #42
Cyrus said:
I think drinking a soda a day is has got to be much worse for you considering it has lots of acid, and sugar.

Also, beer doesn't have nasty chemicals in it like soda does.

The acid destroys the enamel.

Which one is worse?

Well, it's sort of obvious what you want us to think. :wink: In school they pretty much taught us that alcohol is the anti-Christ (it's a pretty religious public school, lol), but in all honesty, soda (or pop as we call it in Michigan) is probably worse for you in small quantities.
 
  • #43
physics girl phd said:
I do say that after baby Ellie is born and nursed, I do want one good cold beer! The postpartum info I got today says nothing against that.

One of my ex's married my best friend (I was best man at the wedding, so obviously we're still great friends). When their first child was disinclined to settle down, the ex would drink a glass of wine. Then she'd breast-feed him, and he'd go to sleep within minutes. :biggrin:
 
  • #44
Beer - however it is definitely affecting my short term memory .

BTW who in hell drinks a beer a day WTF ? , Trust me if you drink one beer you are definitely going to drink at least three ... at least .

Soda made my teeth rot , I'm done with soda with the exception of Coke Zero.
 
  • #45
GCT said:
I'm done with soda with the exception of Coke Zero.
Coke zero rots your teeth just as bad, it's got roughly the same pH value, the only difference being that it's sweetened by chemicals (and boy does that taste nasty). For me it's either the real deal or water. :smile:
 
  • #46
Cyrus said:
Hangover from one beer? Mmmmmmm.....no.
Most days I only drink one bottle of beer. A 40 oz. Busch.
Only for real men though.
 
  • #47
cristo said:
Wow, you're way cool, bragging about drink-driving :rolleyes:

As for the OP, I think I agree with you, Cyrus, in that a beer a day is better for you than a soda a day. It's also much nicer: a cold beer after a long day's work is delicious!

He was joking.
 
  • #48
dlgoff said:
Most days I only drink one bottle of beer. A 40 oz. Busch.
Only for real men though.

Drink a 40oz of skullsplitter.

http://www.legendslimited.com/images/skullsplitter_med.jpg
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #49
Cyrus said:
Drink a 40oz of skullsplitter.

http://www.legendslimited.com/images/skullsplitter_med.jpg
[/URL]

The words "bloody stool" come to mind.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #50
GCT said:
BTW who in hell drinks a beer a day WTF ? , Trust me if you drink one beer you are definitely going to drink at least three ... at least .

When I get home from work I generally only have one drink. Sometimes two.
 

Similar threads

Ever had a Evo moment like this?
Replies
28
Views
4K
Medical Are You Getting a Second Opinion on Your Dental Health?
Replies
13
Views
6K
How Do You Maintain Your Health Routine Amidst a Busy Lifestyle?
Replies
18
Views
3K
Optimizing Beer Temperature: A Scientific Approach
Replies
10
Views
10K
Get Your Juice On: My Hamilton-Beach Juicer Adventure
Replies
15
Views
3K
Ammonia in breath or sweat after exertion or strenuous exercise
Replies
6
Views
11K
Physics Need to consider my options
Replies
16
Views
1K
PF Fan Fiction: Mathematicians in Love
Replies
2
Views
4K
Happy St. Urho's Day - Celebrate in Purple & Green!
Replies
8
Views
3K
Share your Story about Dad on Father's Day
Replies
2
Views
2K

Hot Threads

Recent Insights

Back
Top