Aside from providing beer with its bitter flavor, compounds in hops that have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties may be the key to developing new medicines.
University of Idaho scientists recently presented research at the 251st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in San Diego that detailed how those compounds could be developed. Their idea is to create synthetic compounds similar to the naturally occurring compounds.
Those compounds include humulones – alpha acids with anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties – and lupulones, which are beta acids with less-known healthy properties.
Hops already are known for their antibacterial and anti-fungal properties, which help prevent the fermentation part of the brewing process from becoming contaminated. In addition, some studies have shown that hops could fight dementia with antioxidants that work to prevent oxidative stress and cognitive decline. Another study suggested that a flavonoid found within hops might improve overall cognitive function.
Hops have also been used as a folk remedy for hair loss, anxiety, inflammation and sleeping problems.
A Difficult Process
Synthesizing the compounds is no easy task.
Current extraction methods are difficult, and analytical standards for the compounds are unknown. To develop a library, the researchers are trying to synthesize sets of humulones and lupulones.
The researchers have synthesized three types of humulones via a multi-step process, but admit there’s a lot of trial and error.
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“When researchers extract healthful chemicals from hops, they first have to determine whether they have separated out the specific compounds they’re interested in,” Kristopher Waynant, Ph.D., lead author of the study said in a statement.
“But if you can figure out how to make these compounds from scratch, you know they are the right ones.”
In the future, Waynant said he wants to partner with biologists and medical researchers with the goal of creating new drugs able to treat cancer and inflammatory diseases.
Beer as a Health Food?
While excessive consumption has long been known as a health risk, several studies have suggested that there are significant health benefits of drinking a beer or two.
For example, a Finnish study published in the National Institutes of Health suggested that the water and alcohol in beer increase urine flow and dilute the urine itself, which reduces the possibility of kidney stones forming. Researchers at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania also concluded that the numbers of heart attacks can be reduced with dark ales and stouts.
Other studies from Harvard Medical School and the American Stroke Association have shown that moderate drinkers can reduce their stroke risk by as much as 50% compared to nondrinkers because beer makes the arteries more flexible and improves blood flow.
Researchers from Tufts University in Massachusetts determined that beer’s high levels of silicon – which encourage bone growth – can reduce the risk of fractures. The trick is to drink one or two glasses a day, as more than that can increase the breakage risk.
Yet other studies have found that beer may reduce diabetes and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, while curing insomnia and preventing cataracts.
