SEATTLE, Wash. (CBS Seattle) – According to a new study by researchers at the University of Washington, hops could be used to help create new medicine.
Hops, which are one of the main ingredients in beer, could reportedly be used to treat a number of health issues.
“Excessive beer consumption cannot be recommended to propagate good health, isolated humulones, and their derivatives can be prescribed with documented health benefits,” lead author Werner Kaminsky, a research associate professor of chemistry at the University of Washington said in the study.
In this study, researchers were able to show that, in moderation, beer and its bittering acids have beneficial effects on some diseases including diabetes, forms of cancer, inflammation, and can help with weight loss.
Researchers in the study were able to determine the specific substances derived from hops that give beer its bitter flavor, which is a member of alpha acids called humulones.
The study concluded that humulones might be useful in new compounds of medical treatments.