Study says beer may be better pain reliever than paracetamol

Beer is the world's most widely consumed alcoholic beverage, even though it is associated more with the negative aspects of alcohol than its positive side.

However, a study has once again highlighted the positive side of the drink as a better pain reliever than paracetamol.

Researchers from Greenwich University in the UK looked at 18 studies involving over 400 participant to analyse if drinking beer could blunt the sensation of pain by acting on brain receptors or if it could lower anxiety, which then reduced the perception of discomfort. The researchers found that beer consumption lessened the pain people felt.

"We have found strong evidence that alcohol is an effective painkiller," Trevor Thompson from Greenwich University was quoted as saying by 'The Sun.

"It can be compared to opioid drugs such as codeine and the effect is more powerful than paracetamol," Thompson said.

According to the researchers, the findings suggested that alcohol was an effective analgesic that delivered clinically-relevant reductions in ratings of pain intensity, researchers said.

They said, this could explain alcohol misuse in those with persistent pain, despite its potential consequences for long-term health.

"If we can make a drug without the harmful side-effects then we could have something that is potentially better than what is out there at the moment," Thompson added.

There is however, a darker side to the study, which noted that the pain-dulling effect, "could explain alcohol misuse in those with persistent pain despite its potential consequences for long-term health."

According to the study, this could be a contributing factor to why some people who experienced physical pain drank alcohol, which could lead to more studies that would help raise ''awareness of alternative, less harmful pain interventions to vulnerable patients."