Does Beer Fight Alzheimer’s Disease?

A new study from Italy suggests that moderate beer consumption might help prevent Alzheimer’s and that certain hop varieties could prove more effective than others.

Around 6.5 million Americans, 65 years and older have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. That number may reach 12.7 million by 2050.

According to the Alzheimer’s Society more than 850,000 people were living with dementia in the United Kingdom in 2019, and more than 55 million people globally, according to the World Health Organization.

Although there are some treatments that help alleviate some of its symptoms, most forms of dementia are currently incurable.

But increasingly research points to diet as a contributing factor.

“Preventative strategies are key for tackling the condition,” according to Medical News Today. “Diet is often considered a promising preventive target, as natural molecules in foods, and nutraceuticals may be able to interfere with biochemical events that underlie pathology.”

A new study from researchers from the University of Milano-Bicocca has found that certain hop varieties release natural anti-oxidants that may prevent this debilitating disease.

Researchers tested four common varieties of hop flower extracts that are found in beer to see how well they prevent brain protein clumping, a process which can lead to Alzheimer’s.

And they found that certain hop extracts may inhibit the build-up of amyloid beta proteins in the brain — a key marker of Alzheimer’s disease.

For the study, the researchers screened and compared the activities of four different hops commonly used to brew different beers…

• Cascade
• Saaz
• Tettnang
• Summit

And they found that the polyphenols from the Tettnang hop, which is mainly cultivated around Tettnanger on Lake Constance Germany, were the most potent compounds in the hop extracts due to their antioxidant effects.

“While the findings in no way suggest that people should drink more beer as alcohol is also a risk factor for Alzheimer’s,” reports the New York Post,  “researchers did find that hops could be the basis for foods that lessen the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.”

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