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Is Beer Better （or Worse） for You than Wine？
啤酒和红酒在“酒界”可谓各据一方，深受人们喜爱。但随着健康养生理念逐步传播开来，不同酒类的健康性问题也被热议。人们往往认为红酒有益于健康，啤酒则会增加身体的负担。然而红酒真的比啤酒健康么？究竟谁才会让你更快醉倒？谁才是大腹便便的罪魁祸首？谁又会使你烂醉如泥？谜团将一一为你解开……
1. save： prep. 除了，除……外； spectacularly： 引人注目地。
2. there’s no accounting for...： 无需解释；subtle： 细微的，难以察觉的。
3. fattening： 使人发胖的。
4. hangover： 宿醉。
5. comb： 梳理；bust： 打破；myth： 错误的观点，无根据的观念。
6. pint： 品脱（液量单位，1品脱约为0.48升）；lager： 淡啤酒；medium： 中等大小的；alcohol content： 酒精含量；British unit： 英制单位。
7. 然而，醉酒是因为酒精进入到了血液中，而醉酒的速度取决于酒的类型。descent： 下降，下倾； inebriation： 酒醉，陶醉； blood stream： 血流。
8. imbibe： 喝，饮（酒等）。
9. spirit：【常加-s】烈酒（如威士忌、 白兰地等）。
10. verdict： 裁定，结论。
11. paunch： 大肚子，啤酒肚。
12. face value： 字面含义，表面价值；beer belly： 啤酒肚。
13. pile on： 堆积。
14. moderate： 有节制的； minimal： 最低的。
15. equivalent to： 相当于；full-term：（怀孕）足月的。
16. slim： 微小的；have the edge： 占有优势，略胜一筹。
17. formidable： 可怕的，难对付的；foe： 敌人，仇敌。
18. dehydration： 脱水；pee： 小便； byproduct： 副产品； fermentation： 发酵。
19. 这些被称为“酿酒副产品”的有机分子给予不同酒类独特的味道和香气，但是它们也可能对身体有害，头一天晚上喝得太多便会导致人们头痛欲裂和恶心呕吐。congener： 酿酒副产品；organic molecule： 有机分子；aroma： 芳香；throbbing： 抽痛的，跳动的；nausea： 恶心，作呕。
20. ambiguous： 不确定的，含糊不清的。
21. bourbon： 波旁威士忌酒（一种用玉米酿成的美国威士忌酒）；crystal clear： 清澈的，明澈的；vodka： 伏特加酒（一种用麦、马铃薯或玉米酿制的烈性烧酒）。
22. provided： 倘若；hard stuff： 烈性酒；agony： （精神或肉体的）极度痛苦。
23. call： 判定。
24. rejuvenate： 使年轻，使更有活力；diabetes： 糖尿病。
25. 这种赋予生命活力的养料通常被认为是来自于多酚（红酒中尤为丰富），而多酚可以消炎以及清除体内有害的化学物质。sustenance： 食物，养料；polyphenol： 多酚；soothe： 减轻，缓和；inflammation： 炎症；mop up： 清除，扫除。
26. conspicuously： 显著地，明显地；bulletin： 公告，布告；fair： 尚可的，中等程度的；modest： 不太大的，适中的；akin to： 与某物相似的，与某物类似的。
27. free pass： 免费入场券；binge： 大吃大喝，狂欢作乐；in moderation： 适度地，有节制地。
28. win hands down： 轻易取胜，唾手可得。
29. edge： v.（在竞赛中以微弱优势）胜出。
30. illustrious： 著名的，杰出的。
31. anthropologist： 人类学家。
32. contemplate： 考虑，沉思。
Few drinks （save tea or coffee） divide the world so spectacularly as beer or wine.1 There’s no accounting for taste， of course—but there are subtle differences in the way they affect your body and determine your health.2 Is one more fattening3 than another？ How do their heart benefits compare？ And which gives the worse hangover4？ We have combed through the data to bust some of the myths surrounding two of the world’s favourite drinks.5
Which gets you drunk more quickly？ A pint of lager and a medium glass of wine both contain around the same alcohol content—two or three British units （16g—24g）.6 However， your descent into inebriation relies on that alcohol passing into your blood stream—and the speed at which this happens can depend on the type of drink.7
Mack Mitchell at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre recently asked a group of 15 men to imbibe8 different drinks on different days. He made sure that the alcohol content was precisely matched to their body weight—and ensured they drank the alcohol at precisely the same rate， over a 20 minute period. Unsurprisingly， spirits9 entered the blood stream quickest， leading to the highest peak in blood alcohol content—followed by wine （reaching a peak 54 minutes after drinking） and then beer （which peaked 62 minutes after the drink was finished）. In other words， a glass of wine will go to your head more quickly than a pint of beer.
Verdict10： Beer is less likely to lead to embarrassment.
Which gives you the biggest paunch11？
At face value， the myth of the beer belly should be true.12 Alcohol itself contains calories， not to mention all the sugars that make our favourite drinks so tasty. And at around 180 calories， a pint of beer has 50% more energy content than a small glass of wine—enough to cause you to pile on13 the pounds.
For moderate drinkers， however， the differences seem to be minimal.14 A recent review of studies concluded that neither wine nor beer drinkers tend to put on weight over the short-term. The authors noted， however， that the longest study had lasted just 10 weeks. The studies could have missed minor weight gain—and even 1kg over that period would eventually add up to a beer belly weighing 25kg over five years. That’s the equivalent to carrying 10 full-term babies.15
（On the plus side， the commonly held view that beer may cause men to develop breasts is almost certainly an unfounded myth.）
Verdict： Slim differences， but wine may have the edge.16
Which gives the worst hangover？
Despite their best efforts， scientists have yet to conquer the drinker’s most formidable foe： the hangover.17 We don’t even fully understand what causes it. Dehydration is likely to be an important factor （alcohol makes us pee more liquid than we take in） but it may also be caused by some of the byproducts of fermentation.18 Called congeners， these organic molecules give each drink its unique flavour and aroma， but they may also be toxic to the body， resulting in the throbbing head and nausea that usually follows a night of excess.19 In general， darker drinks are thought to contain more congeners. In fact， the evidence so far is ambiguous20. Although certain dark spirits like bourbon do seem to produce a worse hangover than crystal clear vodka，21 different types of beer and wine so far seem to be equal. So provided you haven’t turned to the hard stuff， you can’t blame your choice of drink for your agony.22
Verdict： Too ambiguous to call23.
Which is better （or worse） for my health？
We are often told that a glass of wine a day could help rejuvenate the body， reducing our risk of heart disease， high blood pressure， and diabetes.24 This life-giving sustenance is thought to come from “polyphenols” （found especially in red wine） that soothe inflammation and mop up damaging chemicals in the body.25
Beer is conspicuously absent from these health bulletins， but it too contains a fair share of polyphenols， and seems to offer modest benefits， akin to white wine but less than red wine.26 Clearly， none of this gives you a free pass to binge drink， but if drank in moderation，27 a glass a day really may keep the doctor away.
Verdict： Red wine wins hands down28， but beer may be better than no drink at all.
Overall verdict： When it comes to health benefits， wine edges29 it as the best medicine. However， beer drinkers can at least respond that their drink has the more illustrious30 history. In fact， some anthropologists31 have suggested that our taste for beer might have planted the seeds of agriculture， and therefore civilisation itself. That’s something to contemplate32 the next time you’re waiting at the bar.
啤酒和红酒在“酒界”可谓各据一方，深受人们喜爱。但随着健康养生理念逐步传播开来，不同酒类的健康性问题也被热议。人们往往认为红酒有益于健康，啤酒则会增加身体的负担。然而红酒真的比啤酒健康么？究竟谁才会让你更快醉倒？谁才是大腹便便的罪魁祸首？谁又会使你烂醉如泥？谜团将一一为你解开……
1. save： prep. 除了，除……外； spectacularly： 引人注目地。
2. there’s no accounting for...： 无需解释；subtle： 细微的，难以察觉的。
3. fattening： 使人发胖的。
4. hangover： 宿醉。
5. comb： 梳理；bust： 打破；myth： 错误的观点，无根据的观念。
6. pint： 品脱（液量单位，1品脱约为0.48升）；lager： 淡啤酒；medium： 中等大小的；alcohol content： 酒精含量；British unit： 英制单位。
7. 然而，醉酒是因为酒精进入到了血液中，而醉酒的速度取决于酒的类型。descent： 下降，下倾； inebriation： 酒醉，陶醉； blood stream： 血流。
8. imbibe： 喝，饮（酒等）。
9. spirit：【常加-s】烈酒（如威士忌、 白兰地等）。
10. verdict： 裁定，结论。
11. paunch： 大肚子，啤酒肚。
12. face value： 字面含义，表面价值；beer belly： 啤酒肚。
13. pile on： 堆积。
14. moderate： 有节制的； minimal： 最低的。
15. equivalent to： 相当于；full-term：（怀孕）足月的。
16. slim： 微小的；have the edge： 占有优势，略胜一筹。
17. formidable： 可怕的，难对付的；foe： 敌人，仇敌。
18. dehydration： 脱水；pee： 小便； byproduct： 副产品； fermentation： 发酵。
19. 这些被称为“酿酒副产品”的有机分子给予不同酒类独特的味道和香气，但是它们也可能对身体有害，头一天晚上喝得太多便会导致人们头痛欲裂和恶心呕吐。congener： 酿酒副产品；organic molecule： 有机分子；aroma： 芳香；throbbing： 抽痛的，跳动的；nausea： 恶心，作呕。
20. ambiguous： 不确定的，含糊不清的。
21. bourbon： 波旁威士忌酒（一种用玉米酿成的美国威士忌酒）；crystal clear： 清澈的，明澈的；vodka： 伏特加酒（一种用麦、马铃薯或玉米酿制的烈性烧酒）。
22. provided： 倘若；hard stuff： 烈性酒；agony： （精神或肉体的）极度痛苦。
23. call： 判定。
24. rejuvenate： 使年轻，使更有活力；diabetes： 糖尿病。
25. 这种赋予生命活力的养料通常被认为是来自于多酚（红酒中尤为丰富），而多酚可以消炎以及清除体内有害的化学物质。sustenance： 食物，养料；polyphenol： 多酚；soothe： 减轻，缓和；inflammation： 炎症；mop up： 清除，扫除。
26. conspicuously： 显著地，明显地；bulletin： 公告，布告；fair： 尚可的，中等程度的；modest： 不太大的，适中的；akin to： 与某物相似的，与某物类似的。
27. free pass： 免费入场券；binge： 大吃大喝，狂欢作乐；in moderation： 适度地，有节制地。
28. win hands down： 轻易取胜，唾手可得。
29. edge： v.（在竞赛中以微弱优势）胜出。
30. illustrious： 著名的，杰出的。
31. anthropologist： 人类学家。
32. contemplate： 考虑，沉思。
Few drinks （save tea or coffee） divide the world so spectacularly as beer or wine.1 There’s no accounting for taste， of course—but there are subtle differences in the way they affect your body and determine your health.2 Is one more fattening3 than another？ How do their heart benefits compare？ And which gives the worse hangover4？ We have combed through the data to bust some of the myths surrounding two of the world’s favourite drinks.5
Which gets you drunk more quickly？ A pint of lager and a medium glass of wine both contain around the same alcohol content—two or three British units （16g—24g）.6 However， your descent into inebriation relies on that alcohol passing into your blood stream—and the speed at which this happens can depend on the type of drink.7
Mack Mitchell at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre recently asked a group of 15 men to imbibe8 different drinks on different days. He made sure that the alcohol content was precisely matched to their body weight—and ensured they drank the alcohol at precisely the same rate， over a 20 minute period. Unsurprisingly， spirits9 entered the blood stream quickest， leading to the highest peak in blood alcohol content—followed by wine （reaching a peak 54 minutes after drinking） and then beer （which peaked 62 minutes after the drink was finished）. In other words， a glass of wine will go to your head more quickly than a pint of beer.
Verdict10： Beer is less likely to lead to embarrassment.
Which gives you the biggest paunch11？
At face value， the myth of the beer belly should be true.12 Alcohol itself contains calories， not to mention all the sugars that make our favourite drinks so tasty. And at around 180 calories， a pint of beer has 50% more energy content than a small glass of wine—enough to cause you to pile on13 the pounds.
For moderate drinkers， however， the differences seem to be minimal.14 A recent review of studies concluded that neither wine nor beer drinkers tend to put on weight over the short-term. The authors noted， however， that the longest study had lasted just 10 weeks. The studies could have missed minor weight gain—and even 1kg over that period would eventually add up to a beer belly weighing 25kg over five years. That’s the equivalent to carrying 10 full-term babies.15
（On the plus side， the commonly held view that beer may cause men to develop breasts is almost certainly an unfounded myth.）
Verdict： Slim differences， but wine may have the edge.16
Which gives the worst hangover？
Despite their best efforts， scientists have yet to conquer the drinker’s most formidable foe： the hangover.17 We don’t even fully understand what causes it. Dehydration is likely to be an important factor （alcohol makes us pee more liquid than we take in） but it may also be caused by some of the byproducts of fermentation.18 Called congeners， these organic molecules give each drink its unique flavour and aroma， but they may also be toxic to the body， resulting in the throbbing head and nausea that usually follows a night of excess.19 In general， darker drinks are thought to contain more congeners. In fact， the evidence so far is ambiguous20. Although certain dark spirits like bourbon do seem to produce a worse hangover than crystal clear vodka，21 different types of beer and wine so far seem to be equal. So provided you haven’t turned to the hard stuff， you can’t blame your choice of drink for your agony.22
Verdict： Too ambiguous to call23.
Which is better （or worse） for my health？
We are often told that a glass of wine a day could help rejuvenate the body， reducing our risk of heart disease， high blood pressure， and diabetes.24 This life-giving sustenance is thought to come from “polyphenols” （found especially in red wine） that soothe inflammation and mop up damaging chemicals in the body.25
Beer is conspicuously absent from these health bulletins， but it too contains a fair share of polyphenols， and seems to offer modest benefits， akin to white wine but less than red wine.26 Clearly， none of this gives you a free pass to binge drink， but if drank in moderation，27 a glass a day really may keep the doctor away.
Verdict： Red wine wins hands down28， but beer may be better than no drink at all.
Overall verdict： When it comes to health benefits， wine edges29 it as the best medicine. However， beer drinkers can at least respond that their drink has the more illustrious30 history. In fact， some anthropologists31 have suggested that our taste for beer might have planted the seeds of agriculture， and therefore civilisation itself. That’s something to contemplate32 the next time you’re waiting at the bar.