Darker beers have more antioxidants than the lighter lager beers, according to Canadian researchers John Trevithick, Ph.D., and Maurice Hirst, Ph.D., of the University of Western Ontario, and Joe Vinson, Ph.D., of the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. The Canadian team focused on determining why antioxidants in beer seem to help reduce the risk of cataracts, especially in diabetics. Vinson investigated beer's beneficial effect in reducing the risk of heart disease. In tests with rat lenses, Trevithick's laboratory found that antioxidants that act similarly to those in beer protect special parts of cells in the eye - called mitochondria. Damaged mitochondria can lead to an increased incidence of cataracts.
Mitochondria are responsible for converting glucose to energy.
That may be enough to damage the lens. We think that may be one of the factors that's contributing to the lower risk of cataracts in people who have one drink a day. The cost-benefit aspect of antioxidants and cataracts is very important, Trevithick believes. And that's just in the states. Trevithick's daughter, Colleen Trevithick, now pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of California, Los Angeles, is also involved in the beer antioxidant studies.