Aims of the CISB | The tasks of the CISB | Membership | Support
Aims of the CISB
The CISB (Centre d'Information Scientifique sur la Bière or scientific information centre on beer) was set up at the initiative of professional brewers and scientific and medical experts. The decision to set up CISB was based on a dual observation:
firstly, a realisation that there was a lack of scientific and medical information on the health effects of regular, moderate consumption of beer, and
the observation that there was an unexploited potential in terms of scientific research and clinical applications.
Its objective is to contribute to the development of scientific and medical research on the effects of regular, moderate consumption of beer.
The many studies conducted in the past have already indicated that regular, moderate consumption of beer offers a number of health benefits with regard to certain pathologies.
These studies indicate that the natural components of beer have specific virtues and play a role in preventing cardiovascular risk factors. These benefits arise from:
the natural action of ethanol in raising the rate of HDL cholesterol, often referred to as "good cholesterol";
beer's high content of folates and B6 vitamins, all highly bioavailable nutrients; one of their main benefits is that they reduce blood levels of homocysteine, an amino acid which, when found in excess quantities in the blood, can act as a cardiovascular risk factor;
the presence in beer of powerful antioxidants such as malt melanoidin and polyphenols that combat free radicals, which are a major cardiovascular risk factor.
It is also thought that regular, moderate consumption of beer protects against the development of diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes:
it appears that the risk of developing diabetes among moderate drinkers is half that of non-drinkers, a benefit which was hitherto an unknown benefit;
similarly, moderate consumption is associated with a decrease in insulin resistance, leading to a lower risk of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases;
(Source: Alcohol consumption and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus among US male physicians. Ajani UA, Hennekens CH, Spelsberg A, Manson JE. Arch Intern Med 2000 Apr 10 ;160(7):1025-30)
The tasks of the CISB
In light of these initial scientific elements, the CISB has set itself four tasks designed to contribute to the development of scientific knowledge on the health effects of moderate consumption of beer.
To initiate and conduct scientific research programmes on the health effects of regular, moderate consumption of beer
To encourage scientific research and its applications
To inform scientific and medical circles on the state of research and knowledge in the field
To provide scientific information to the general public
Membership
The Centre d'Information Scientifique sur la Bière brings together independent scientific experts from different complementary disciplines in the medical world, in particular the fields of nutrition, lipidology and cardiology.
These experts sit on a scientific council. They form an independent body which defines the appropriate scientific research developments, conducts the clinical studies agreed on and evaluates the results of these research programmes.
The members of the scientific council of the CISB are:
Dr Catherine Alamowitch
Dr Catherine Alamowitch was formerly University Head of Clinic - Former Hospital Assistant. She is currently attached to the Endocrinology-Diabetology Section of Professor Marre at the Bichat-Claude Bernard university hospital, Paris, France. She also works in a private pratice.
She is also a member of the ALFEDIAM (Association de Langue Française pour l'Etude du diabète et des Maladies Métaboliques - French-language association for the study of diabetes and metabolism-related diseases) and the SFN (Société Française de Nutrition - French society of nutrition).
Pr Roland Asmar
Prof. Roland Asmar is University Associate Professor of Therapeutic Measures, and Medical Director of the Paris Cardiovascular Institute (ICV).
He is also a member of the International Arterial Hypertension Society and of the Société Française d'Hypertension Artérielle (French Arterial Hypertension Society), a branch of the Société Française de Cardiologie.
In addition, he is a member of the reading and critical committees of several international scientific publications including the Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and the Journal of Hypertension.
Dr Jean Dallongeville
Dr Jean Dallongeville is Head of Laboratory of the Arteriosclerosis Department at the Pasteur Institute in Lille, France. He is also Accredited Professor at the Nutrition Department of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
He is member of the SFN, of the French lipids and nutrition group (GLN) and also member of the ARCOL (Comité Français de Coordination des Recherches sur l'Artériosclérose et le Cholestérol - French research coordination committee on arteriosclerosis and cholesterol)
He acts as reviewer for numerous scientific publications, including the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, European Journal of Nutrition, International Journal of Obesity, Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Diseases.
Pr Jean-Louis Schlienger
Prof. Schlienger is Professor of Nutrition and Head of the Internal Medicine and Nutrition Department at the university hospital of Hautepierre, Strasbourg, France.
He is a member of the Société de Médecine des Hôpitaux de Strasbourg (SMHS) and a titular member of the Société Française d'Endocrinologie (SFE), in addition to being a member of the ALFEDIAM and the SFN
Support
The CISB's research work enjoys the unreserved support of the - the French brewers' association.
