REAL beer pints are better than non-alcoholic beer because the no-booze option can be a bacteria breeding ground, a study suggests.

Craft beers with zero alcohol can allow food poisoning bugs like E. coli and salmonella to survive, US researchers found.

Non-alcoholic beer can be a breeding ground for food poisoning bugs, a study suggests
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Non-alcoholic beer can be a breeding ground for food poisoning bugs, a study suggests
The lack of booze and normal beer-making processes meant the bacteria lived for over two months.

It means it could be better to stick to regular pints rather than drinking non-alcoholic beer if you want to look after your health, they suggested.

Dr Ann Charles-Vegdahl, of Cornell University, said: “Traditional beer is generally considered safe from foodborne pathogens due to several hurdles.

“These include alcohol concentration, hops bitter acids, low pH, high amounts of dissolved carbon dioxide and low oxygen.

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“When one or more of these hurdles is absent or at insufficient levels, beer can become susceptible to pathogen survival and growth.”

No or low-alcohol beers are booming in popularity, with sales jumping by 23 per cent during the past year compared to the previous 12 months.

The Government announced in September it is planning to bump up the legal limit for an alcohol-free tipple from 0.05 per cent ABV to 0.5 per cent to convert more drinkers to them.

The drinks are often considered a healthier alternative, as research shows they slash the damage booze inflicts on the body.