BEER FOR THE BRAIN

HERE’S news to raise a glass to: A compound in beer hops may protect your brain. We may be a hop, skip and a jump from warding off neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s. An ingredient in beer hops, xanthohumol (also known as Xn) has been shown to protect the brains of mice from cell damage. Wine may be the popular choice for health benefits, but Xn has been shown to fend off cancer, viruses, obesity, and inflammation. Its brain-boosting benefits haven’t been seriously studied – until now. Reporting in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Jianguo Fang and colleagues said that Xn was shown not only to fight free radicals but also jump-start signaling and protect cells from neurotoxicity. Neuronal cells – which are in the brain, spine and nerves – are in limited supply over one’s lifetime and especially susceptible to stress. This stress is thought to be one of the ways brain-related disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s begin. Hops have been used in Chinese medicine for centuries. The researchers’ surprising finding: To get the benefits of Xn, all it takes is a daily intake of products containing Xn, such as beer.