Compound from hops lowers cholesterol, blood sugar and weight gain

A recent study at Oregon State University has identified specific intake levels of xanthohumol, a natural flavonoid found in hops, that significantly improved some of the underlying markers of metabolic syndrome in laboratory animals and also reduced weight gain.

The findings were published in a special issue of Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics that was focused on "Polyphenols and Health," and they suggest a possible new approach to issues such as human obesity, high cholesterol and elevated glucose.

Xanthohumol is found naturally in hops and beer, but the highest level used in this research was 60 milligrams per kilogram of body weight per day. This corresponds to a human equivalent dose of 350 milligrams per day for a 70-kilogram person, which far exceeds any amount that could be obtained by ordinary dietary intake. A level that high would equate to a beer intake of 3,500 pints per day for a human adult.

Good News Of The Week

Regular readers of this blog will be aware that I enjoy a pint of foaming English ale or two and if drunk in moderation I have found its effects to be relaxing and not unpleasant. What I was unaware of, though, was that it was actually doing me some good. I read this week that researchers from the University of Lanzhou have discovered that the antioxidant found in hops, xanthohumol or Xn to its…

Compound from hops aids cognitive function in young animals

Xanthohumol, a type of flavonoid found in hops and beer, has been shown in a new study to improve cognitive function in young mice, but not in older animals.The research was just published in Behavioral Brain Research by scientists from the Linus Pauling Institute and College of Veterinary Medicine at Oregon State University. It's another step toward understanding, and ultimately reducing the degradation of memory that happens with age in many mammalian species, including humans.

"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," Zamzow said. "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."