Drinking To Forget: Beer And Dementia

We’ve been meaning to write about these important findings for a while now…But for some reason we keep forgetting to…

Turns out the question of whether beer consumption, can lead to, or ward off cognitive decline is a mixed bag.

The good news is that daily beer drinking might actually stall mental decline and help you ward off cognitive dangers like Alzheimer’s disease.

Two recent studies, one from the University of Lanzhou, China, the other from the University of Rochester, are reinforcing a growing body of thought that beer (or more precisely the hops used to brew that beer) contain antioxidants that reduce brain inflammation and flushes out the harmful toxins believed to contribute to cognitive decline.

The University of Lanzhou study that found that Xanthohumol (Xn) which is found in the hop, and has already been proven to  contain anti-cancer, anti-oxidation, and heart-protective properties, might also delay or even prevent the onset of dementia and other cognitive decline.

“Hops from dried female clusters of the hop plant are widely used in beers and a few types of soft drinks,” said Dr. Jiangou Fang of Lanzhou University, according to the Daily Mail. “In traditional Chinese medicine, hops have been used to treat a variety of ailments for centuries. The presence of a high concentration of Xn in beers might be linked to the epidemiological observation of the beneficial effect of regular beer drinking.”

Now the bad news

The University of Rochester study, unfortunately suggests that the cognitive benefits of beer comes with limits, according to The Sun.

Although the mice in the Rochester study who were ice given the equivalent of two beers (we’re talking lager not Double IPAs) dis see less brain inflammation and toxins that booze-free mice “brain function in mice given the equivalent of six pints was significantly reduced.” (Yah think?)

Dr Maiken Nedergaard, of University of Rochester, said that it does appear that ‘low doses of alcohol appear to improve overall brain health,” but he had no opinion as to whether six pints of beer makes people better dancers…

The Alzheimer’s Society’s Dr Clare Walton said: “This is not a green light for people to drink more alcohol.”

And we’ll try to remember that…

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