Researchers in Canada and the United States showed the results of studies in experimental animals show that beer, especially stronger beers and stouts may decrease the incidence of atherosclerosis and cataract by as much as 50 percent. In tests with rat lenses, Trevithick's science lab found that antioxidants that act similarly to those in beer protect special parts of cells in the eye - called mitochondria. Harm mitochondria can lead to an increased incidence of cataracts.