"Whoever drinks (non-alcoholic) beer lives a hundred years"

FAU Researchers Investigate Healthy Ingredients in Beer

09-Oct-2018 - Germany

beer ingredients as an anti-inflammatory and antiobesity agent? Researchers around Prof. Dr. Claus Hellerbrand, Institute for biochemistry of the FAU, have received the research prize of the European Foundation for alcohol Research and the European Brewery Convention over 60,000 euros for their research project, which examines beer ingredients with regard to their anti-inflammatory effect.

"The Italian proverb says, "Whoever drinks beer lives a hundred years", and perhaps there is more truth in it than expected. Beer contains the substances xanthohumol and iso-alpha acids. According to studies by Prof. Hellerbrand's research group, xanthohumol inhibits the fatty degeneration of the liver caused by obesity and malnutrition and prevents the liver from scarring. In addition, it kills liver cancer cells and prevents weight gain when overfed. Iso-alpha acids also have a positive effect on health. They inhibit liver damage and have a positive effect on fat and sugar metabolism.

In new research work, the scientists, together with the research group of Prof. Dr. Ina Bergheim from the University of Vienna, also found out that the two substances have a particularly beneficial effect on biological processes when combined. Together, they inhibit inflammatory processes even more effectively. Even very low concentrations significantly slow down the production of inflammatory factors in liver and blood cells. Whether other disease mechanisms such as diabetes or cancer can be combated more effectively by combining the two substances will be investigated in this research project. Furthermore, the mechanisms underlying this good combinatorial effect will be deciphered.

Hops - yellow gold

Xanthohumol belongs to the plant polyphenols - the aromatic compounds which provide the colour and taste of the plants. The substance is found exclusively in hops and is responsible for the yellow hue of the hop flowers. Hops play an important role in the brewing of beer, in which xanthohumol is largely broken down. Only a small proportion of the substance is present in the beer itself. A further ingredient of hops are bitter acids, which evoke the typical beer taste. One group of them are the alpha acids, which are converted into iso-alpha acids by heating during the brewing process.

Minus point: alcohol

The only way that xanthohumol and iso-alpha acids are currently absorbed by humans is through the consumption of beer, albeit in relatively low concentrations. Beer, however, is not a medicine. The reason: the alcohol content. "However, it is conceivable that a positive effect can be achieved by consuming alcohol-free beer or other hop-containing foods and beverages such as hop lemonade or hop tea. Xanthohumol and iso-alpha acids seem very promising for the treatment or prevention of liver damage caused by obesity," explains Hellerbrand.

https://www.yumda.com/en/news/1157800/whoever-drinks-non-alcoholic-beer-lives-a-hundred-years.html