German scientists: beer is rich in vitamin B6, including non-alcoholic beer

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This is vitamin B6. It is beneficial for the brain, blood, and immune system and is found in many foods.

The authors of the study found that a glass of beer can provide about 15% of the daily recommended amount of vitamin B6, and even non-alcoholic beer can be a source of this vitamin.

This vitamin is contained in beer ingredients — barley or wheat, as well as brewer's yeast — and is not completely destroyed by the fermentation process.

Vitamin B6 can be obtained from a wide variety of foods. It is abundant in meat and fish, and is also found in oats, potatoes, and chickpeas.

A severe deficiency of vitamin B6 in humans is rare, but sometimes its levels can be low — often simultaneously with other B vitamins, such as vitamin B12, a deficiency of which can lead to increased fatigue and nausea.

Which beer varieties contain more of the vitamin

After studying 65 different varieties of beer purchased in German supermarkets, the authors of the study found:

• Strong German Bock beer contains the most B6. It is followed by regular lagers, then dark lagers, then wheat beer.
• Rice beer contains the least B6.
• Non-alcoholic beer, from which ethanol is removed after complete fermentation, contains more vitamin B6 than non-alcoholic beer brewed using yeasts that produce less ethanol.
• On average, a glass of lager provides 20% of the recommended daily dose of B6.
• One of the non-alcoholic beer varieties tested provided almost 59%.

According to the recommendations of the British National Health Service, men need about 1.4 mg of vitamin B6 per day, and women – about 1.2 mg.

A liter of beer, as the authors of the study found, can contain from 0.3 mg to 1 mg.

According to the study's author, Professor Michael Rychlik, this amount of vitamin is not enough for regulators to allow brewers to write about it on labels, but it is still a fairly noticeable amount.

Professor Rychlik emphasizes that the study's results may only be useful for consumers who "want to optimize their vitamin intake".

Traditional German Bock contains the most vitamin B6 because it has a higher alcohol content — from 6.5%.

The best source of vitamin B6 is food

Bridget Benelam from the British Nutrition Foundation says that vitamin B6 deficiency is rare among British residents, as it is found in many foods.

"We would not recommend beer or any other alcoholic beverage as a primary source of nutrients. They should be part of a normal diet," she says. "It's very unlikely that you would have a B6 deficiency, unless your diet is very restricted."

According to Benelam, problems with this vitamin can arise, for example, in people with alcoholism or kidney diseases. In such cases, she recommends paying attention to other important B vitamins — B12 and riboflavin (B2), which are usually found in dairy products and animal foods.

"They are involved in metabolism and energy release," Benelam explains.

She advises vegans to obtain these vitamins from fortified milk substitutes and yogurts.

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