have a cold one

So much for the idea that a cold one kills brain cells: A new analysis of 32 different studies published in the journal PLOS One found that beer was associated with a reduced risk of Parkinson's disease. The research concluded that people who consumed one or more beers per day—but drank only beer, not wine or liquor as well—had a 59% lower risk of this neurodegenerative disease than non-alcohol drinkers. (By contrast, people who drank only liquor and had one or more drinks a day had more than twice the risk of developing Parkinson's compared to teetotalers.)

The good news for beer lovers doesn't end there: Other new research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found that xanthohumol—a potent antioxidant found in hops that has anticancer and cardiovascular protective benefits—also protects rat brain cells from the type of damage linked to Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. The rats got an amount that was equivalent to drinking one beer a day.