I’m forgoing my usual Follow Friday post to tell you all that it’s National Beer Lovers Day! I feel that I have a responsibility to tell you that I am not encouraging drinking, especially to excess. If you do drink, please do so responsibly and never drink and drive!

Now that that’s out of the way, for those of us who do enjoy the occasional pint, there may be some additional health benefits. Moderate consumption of beer (i.e. one drink a day for women and two a day for men, and no, you can’t save them up) may reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke. It may also reduce your risk of gallstones. Beer also has a fair amount of silicon which may reduce your risk of osteoporosis.

While beer varies in calorie and nutrient content, an average can of beer (355 ml) contains about 150 calories, 14 mg of calcium, 21 mg of magnesium, and 2.1 micrograms of selenium.