Want a healthy beer gut? Try this probiotic brew

Congratulations. You’ve lived long enough for scientists to discover that beer is a health food. 

Or at least it can be if you’re drinking a brew concocted by researchers at the National University of Singapore. 

Scientists modified the brewing and fermentation processes to yield a beer containing probiotics. These are “good” bacteria that can promote health, kill viruses, neutralize toxins and regulate the immune system. 

Currently, there are no probiotic beers on the market. 

That’s because acids from the hops in beer kill probiotic bacteria. The Singapore group found a bacterium that could ingest the sugars in the brewing process and survive the acids. The bacterium produces a lactic acid that gives the beer a tart, even sour, flavor. 

The university is looking for partners to take its sour beer to market.  

TRENDPOST: Because of soil depletion and our reliance on overly processed foods, our daily fare is much less nutritious than a century ago. Scientists are finding ways to engineer nutrition back into the foods we eat to yield better foods that still appeal to our tastes.