A Unique Compound in Ale Intrigues Oregon Researchers
By JOY VICTORY - Nov. 7, 2005
"Mmmm … beer."
This oft-repeated sentiment of Homer Simpson is a mantra for the
millions of beer drinkers in the United States. As popular as beer is,
however, it often has gotten a bad rap as a calorie-loaded beverage
that only serves to create paunchy beer bellies and alcohol-fueled
lapses in judgment.
But that negative image may begin to fade: Research is showing
that beer could join the ranks of other guilt-inducing but wildly
popular foods -- chocolate, coffee and red wine -- as a possible
disease-fighter.
It turns out that beer hops contain a unique micronutrient that
inhibits cancer-causing enzymes. Hops are plants used in beer to give
it aroma, flavor and bitterness.
The compound, xanthohumol, was first isolated by researchers
with Oregon State University 10 years ago. Initial testing was
promising, and now an increasing number of laboratories across the
world have begun studying the compound, said Fred Stevens, an assistant
professor of medicinal chemistry at Oregon State's College of Pharmacy.
Earlier this year, a German research journal even devoted an entire issue to xanthohumol, he said.
What Stevens and others are discovering is that xanthohumol has several
unique effects. Along with inhibiting tumor growth and other enzymes
that activate cancer cells, it also helps the body make unhealthy
compounds more water-soluble, so they can be excreted.
Most beers made today are low on hops, however, and so don't
contain much xanthohumol. But beers known for being "hoppy" — usually
porter, stout and ale types — have much higher levels of the compound.
Oregon's microbrews ranked particularly high, Stevens said, which is
not surprising: U.S. hops are grown almost entirely in the Northwest.
Still, no one knows how much beer is needed to reap the
benefits. Mice studies show that the compound is metabolized quickly by
the body, so it's hard to get a large amount in the body at one time,
Stevens said.
"It clearly has some interesting chemo-preventive properties,
and the only way people are getting any of it right now is through beer
consumption," he said.
From: Tad Winiecki
I've been taking Hops-Valerian herb capsules every night for a few
years to help me sleep so this is good news for me. This combo is
also supposed to help lower blood pressure, I think, something I could use. Nancy
Francis Gabriel wrote:
> Xanthohumolturns out to be toxic to several kinds of human cancer,
> including prostate, ovarian, breast, and colon. Further, it inhibits enzymes that can activate the development of cancer, and also helps detoxify carcinogens.
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