'A pint of beer a day keeps the doctor away'

Drinking a pint of beer a day is good for you, a new study claims. Moderate drinking of ale and lager can cut the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure and even help people lose weight, doctors say. The Spanish researchers suggest combining beer with exercise and a healthy Mediterranean diet high in fish, fruit and vegetables and olive oil. Beer contains folic acid, vitamins, iron and calcium and has the same health benefits already attributed to moderate wine drinking, researchers found. And they blamed fatty foods like chips, a lack of exercise and binge drinking for beer bellies in Britain - The Telegraph​

A former City analyst was yesterday hit with a £50,000 fine for passing misleading information about Enterprise Inns to clients via Bloomberg's "Instant Messenger" system. The Financial Services Authority said Christopher Gower, a former senior research analyst employed by MF Global Securities attended a meeting with the chief executive officer of Punch Taverns on 7 May 2008 where they discussed rival Enterprise Inns turning itself into a Real Estate Investment Trust - The Independent​

Drinks group C&C today said it was "confident" it would meet its full-year operating profit guidance, despite a "challenging and unpredictable" trading environment in Ireland. The company predicted operating profit would be in the range of €102 million and €106 million for the year. C&C said it continued to see a recovery in Magners GB, with year-on-year volumes rising 4.8 per cent in the three months to November 30th. Although Bulmers volumes in the Republic of Ireland rose 2.4 per cent over the quarter, the cider business continued to experience revenue "deflation" of about 4 per cent. Weather had a "severe" impact on pubs in November and December. Magners volumes shipped to the UK on trade fell 19 per cent compared with a year earlier, while total Bulmers volumes shipped across both channels of trade in Ireland were down 5 per cent - Irish Times​