Hops and Prostates?

According to Yahoo:

“A main ingredient in beer may help prevent prostate cancer and enlargement, according to a new study. But researchers say don’t rush out to stock the refrigerator because the ingredient is present in such small amounts that a person would have to drink more than 17 beers to benefit.

“Oregon State University researchers say the compound xanthohumol, found in hops, inhibits a specific protein in the cells along the surface of the prostate gland.”

I’m going to assume those 17 beers would be Bud Light, which has an IBU in the neighborhood of 10 bittering units. Is it safe to assume then, than 17x that would equate to two pints of a beer with 85 bittering units? Maybe even three pints of a beer with 60 IBUs? That’s within reason – right?

4 thoughts on “Hops and Prostates?”

  1. I’m with Andy, drink more high IBU beer.
    However, there are a variety of other sources available to inhibit that specific protein. According to an article on http://www.lycopene.org,
    “Phytochemicals derived from such fruits and vegetables, referred to as
    chemopreventive agents include genistein, resveratrol, diallyl sulfide, S-allyl cysteine, allicin, lycopene, capsaicin, curcumin, 6-gingerol, ellagic acid, ursolic acid, silymarin, anethol, catechins and eugenol. Because these agents have been shown to suppress cancer cell proliferation, inhibit growth factor signaling pathways, induce apoptosis, inhibit NF-kappaB, AP-1 and JAK-STAT activation pathways, inhibit angiogenesis, suppress the expression of anti-apoptotic proteins, inhibit cyclooxygenase-2, they may have untapped therapeutic value.”

    Lycopene is found in many red fruits and vegetables, most commonly tomatoes. I wonder, could the ultimate answer be “Tomato Beer”? Of course, Watermelon, Pink grapefruit, Apricot, or Pink Guava Beer might be a more attractive solution.

  2. Tomato beer, huh? Have you ever had red beer? My grandpa would put a small amount of tomato juice into his lager. Wasn’t that bad, and gave the beer a little more nutrients. I’m going to stick with hops though.

  3. Hops slighly less important relative, the cannabis plant, might meet your favorite IPA somewhere in the middle, at least that’s what I’m counting on.

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