Good news for beer drinkers: Compounds found in hops – the chief ingredient in beer and ales -- have been shown to reduce weight gain in obese and diabetic mice.
The study, published in the journal Public Library of Science ONE, determined mice treated with the compounds -- called tetrahydro iso-alpha acids – for an eight-week period not only lost weight but also experienced improved metabolic effects, including better management of insulin.
Previous studies have found hops contain anti-inflammatory compounds that have potential medicinal uses for metabolic disorders – such as insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
The new research, led by Patrice Cani of the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium, suggests the benefits of beer may come from a novel mechanism involving the iso-alpha acids.