According to multiple reports, researchers from Germany set out to discover what vitamins and minerals could be found in beer. Many of beer's key ingredients such as barley, wheat and brewer's yeast contain vitamin B6, which is used by the body to extract and store energy from food and enables red blood cells to carry oxygen. The study was published in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
The researchers purchased 65 different types of beers from supermarkets in Germany for analysis. Beer types analyzed included lager, alcohol-free lager, unfiltered lager, dark lager, wheat beer, alcohol-free wheat beer, pilsner, bock beer and rice beer. The study authors said their findings 'proves evidently that beer brewed from barley has significantly higher overall B6 contents'.
Vitamin B6 is an essential cofactor of numerous enzymes, and beer may contribute substantially to its dietary intake.
Bock beer had the highest vitamin B6 content at 808.2 micrograms per litre. Bock beer is traditionally a German form of beer and is sold in the UK. Dark lager came second in vitamin B6 content, followed by unfiltered lager, standard lager and pilsner, all containing more than 500 μg/L. Rice beer had the lowest vitamin B6 content at 185.3 μg/L.
Vitamin B6 is typically consumed through foods like pork, chicken, turkey, fish, nuts, beans, oats, bananas and milk. The NHS recommends men aged 19 to 64 get around 1.4 mg of vitamin B6 a day, and women of the same age get 1.2 mg. Two litres (around three-and-a-half pints) of bock beer would exceed the recommended daily intake of vitamin B6.
While the intake of alcohol-free beer is significantly lower, its consumption could contribute to the overall vitamin B6 uptake, as it is not subject to any limitation of alcohol intake.
Alcohol-free lagers were found to contain similar levels of vitamin B6 as regular beer. The study authors noted that 'while the intake of alcohol-free beer is significantly lower, its consumption could contribute to the overall vitamin B6 uptake, as it is not subject to any limitation of alcohol intake'. A poll revealed last year that the rise in low and no alcohol beers was gripping Britain, largely driven by younger adults.
The exact sample size and methodology of the study have not been detailed, and it is unclear whether there are any health risks associated with consuming high levels of vitamin B6 from beer. The margin of error or statistical significance of the findings has not been disclosed, nor have any funding sources or conflicts of interest for the study.