Beer Hops Could Interfere With Alzheimer's Disease: Study

Beer hops could have an effect on Alzheimer’s disease, according to newly published research.

According to a study in ACS Chemical Neuroscience, chemicals extracted from hop flowers could inhibit the clumping of amyloid beta proteins, which is associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

According to a press release from ACS, part of the difficulty in treating the degenerative disease is the fact that there are several years between the start of underlying biochemical processes and the onset of symptoms.

Per the release, this means that irreversible damage to the nervous system happens before AD is even noticed, leading to increased interest in preventative strategies and therapeutics.

The hop flowers used to flavor beers have been included in previous studies, suggesting that the plant could potentially interfere with the amyloid beta proteins associated with AD, according to the release.

According to the release, researchers Cristina Airoldi and Alessandro Palmioli used a method similar to the brewing process to create extracts of four common hop varieties, finding that the extracts had antioxidant properties and could prevent the amyloid beta proteins from clumping in human nerve cells.

The researchers say these hop compounds could serve as the basis for “nutraceuticals” — foods that have some type of medicinal or nutritional function — that potentially combat the development of AD, according to the release.

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