June 20, 2025, 6:51 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
Non-alcoholic beer may negatively affect blood sugar levels, according to a new study involving researchers from Germany and the United States. This suggests that the popular beverage could increase the risk of diabetes. Is this true? FITBOOK author Friederike Ostermeyer examined the study.
Non-alcoholic beer is quite literally on everyone’s lips. Especially in Germany, demand is at an all-time high. Many athletes swear by it because it is isotonic and can replenish some minerals lost through sweating. In 2022, a study from Portugal even concluded that a daily beer—in this case, with alcohol—could lead to a more diverse gut microbiome. A research team from Ruhr University Bochum, along with U.S. scientists, wanted to investigate more closely how non-alcoholic beer affects metabolism, blood sugar, and health, and they came to a somewhat different conclusion.1
Overview
How the Beer Study Was Conducted
The research team invited 44 healthy men aged 18 to 24 to drink two small bottles (a total of 660 milliliters) of non-alcoholic beer daily over four weeks. They were randomly assigned to the following drinks: Pilsener, wheat beer, Radler, and water (control group). At the start of the study, blood values (sugar, insulin, cholesterol, liver values), body weight, body fat, and the composition of the gut microbiome (gut bacteria from stool samples) were measured for all participants.
Not All Non-Alcoholic Beer Is the Same
The evaluation indicated that Radler, a non-alcoholic beer mixed with lemonade, might have the most negative effects. Participants experienced an increase in glucose levels and a tendency for insulin to rise, suggesting a deterioration in blood sugar regulation. In the microbiome, the proportion of the bacterial strains Collinsella and Blautia increased, which could negatively affect certain metabolic processes in the long term. Wheat beer also led to increased blood sugar and fat levels, but surprisingly resulted in a reduction in body fat. The exact cause remains unclear. Wheat beer had mixed effects on the gut flora. Diversity slightly decreased, while the proportion of some beneficial bacterial strains increased.
Pilsener Beer Performed Best
Pilsener performed the best. The negative effects of this non-alcoholic beer on blood sugar were significantly lower. Additionally, there was an improvement in a biomarker that can indicate liver damage. However, other liver scores seemed to show deterioration. The pattern of gut flora also changed: the proportion of Firmicutes bacteria decreased, while the proportion of Actinobacteria increased. Both play an important role in gut health, but can lead to health problems if they become imbalanced. As expected, the water group showed hardly any changes in the parameters studied.
Non-Alcoholic Beer–Not So Healthy After All?
For mixed beer, the negative effects are mainly attributed to the added sugar, the study concludes. However, wheat beer and Pilsener also contain sugar, usually a small amount of residual alcohol, and thus calories, even if they offer some health benefits. These are not significant. If you want to avoid negative effects on blood sugar and metabolism, water is always preferable to non-alcoholic beer. However, the researchers acknowledge that the exclusively male participants, who had no additional dietary control, may not provide a comprehensive picture. Additionally, the sample size is relatively small.
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Diabetes from Non-Alcoholic Beer? A Researcher’s Perspective
Can the supposedly healthy, refreshing non-alcoholic beer actually promote the development of diabetes or liver damage? FITBOOK asked Svenja Sydor, a researcher from Ruhr University Bochum, who was involved in the study. “The results did not provide us with any indications of how the measured shifts are related to the development of metabolic diseases,” she offers a cautious reassurance. However, she adds: “We mainly wanted to raise awareness that any calorie-containing beverage can affect our metabolism and especially the health of our liver.” Sugar- and calorie-containing drinks should therefore always be considered indulgences. Thus, the scientist would not generally advise against the consumption of non-alcoholic beer beverages based on the study results.
Non-alcoholic Pils is always the better choice compared to regular beer simply because it lacks alcohol. But if you truly want to be healthy, you should quench your thirst with water.