Could a frothy pint help fight off neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases?
New research suggests beer has more health benefits than it has been given credit for, the American Chemical Society reported. The findings were reported in a recent edition of the ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
The recent study suggests a compound found in hops could protect the brain's cells from damage, and even slow down the development of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
The findings come in the wake of growing evidence that oxidative damage to neuronal cells contributes to the development of brain-based diseases. Scientists are now on the hunt to find a way to protect brain cells from this type of damage, and doing so could even prevent these types of neurodegenerative diseases.
The key compound found in hops is called xanthohumol, and has also been found to have antioxidation, cardiovascular protection and anticancer properties.
To determine xanthohumol's effects on brain cells the researchers performed lab tests and determined the compound had the ability to protect neuronal cells as had been suggested. They concluded xanthohumol could be a good candidate for fighting neurodegenerative disorders.
In a previous unrelated study researchers found xanthohumol was found to improve cognition in young mice, but not so much in older animals, Oregon State University reported. The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health.
"Xanthohumol can speed the metabolism, reduce fatty acids in the liver and, at least with young mice, appeared to improve their cognitive flexibility, or higher level thinking," said Daniel Zamzow, a former OSU doctoral student and now a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin/Rock County. "Unfortunately it did not reduce palmitoylation in older mice, or improve their learning or cognitive performance, at least in the amounts of the compound we gave them."
