back to article Ingredient found in TASTY BEER is GOOD for your BRAIN

It may come as a surprise to anyone nursing a hangover, but beer might actually be good for your brain. Boffins at Oregon State University found that a chemical called xanthohumol, which is found in hops, improved "cognitive function" related to the memory of mice. Xanthohumol is a flavanoid, a class of compounds which are …

  1. Omgwtfbbqtime
    Pint

    3,520 pints a day?

    Challenge accepted!

    1. Chris Miller
      Pint

      Re: 3,520 pints a day?

      I'm there! Might have to start tonight's session a bit earlier than usual, though.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Pint

        Re: 3,520 pints a day?

        Yeah, about a year earlier...

        On the other hand, isn't this scientific study suggesting that children should drink beer?

        1. Colin Brett
          Pint

          Re: 3,520 pints a day?

          "On the other hand, isn't this scientific study suggesting that children should drink beer?"

          I thought that, way back in the Middle Ages, children did drink beer. It was safer than drinking water because the brewing process involved boiling the water, which killed all the microbes.

          I could be wrong. I might have read that after I'd had a couple of pints :-)

          Colin

        2. John Sturdy
          Boffin

          Re: 3,520 pints a day?

          Alternatively, they could put a lot more hops into the beer... just a way of saving time in drinking it, of course.

          1. Eddy Ito

            Re: 3,520 pints a day?

            @John Sturdy

            Right, India pale ale it is. How many pints is that?

          2. wdmot

            Re: 3,520 pints a day?

            I wonder how he came up with the figure of 2000 litres a day -- I can't access the publication so I don't know how much xanthohumol they say is "normally" in beer and how much is needed to see the cognitive benefit. Xanthohumol content in beer varies a lot: http://www.hopsteiner.de/fileadmin/redeakteur/pdf/neuigkeiten-berichte/technische-veroeffentlichungen/BRAUWELTInternational_1_2002_hopsteiner.pdf says that xanthohumol content in hops varies from 0.1% to 1.1% depending on the hops variety, yield after wort boiling varies from 15% to 70%, and the amount detected after beer storage varies 15% to 30%.

            In any case, since this study was done in Oregon where they love their hops, I'd be surprised if 1000 litres per day wouldn't be enough...

            1. Gannon (J.) Dick

              Re: 3,520 pints a day?

              "I can't access the publication so I don't know how much xanthohumol they say is "normally" in beer and how much is needed to see the cognitive benefit."

              All I can say is:

              1) Xanthohumol is a funny name, and

              2) It must be in there, but I can never taste it until pint # 3,500.

              Give me a few minutes and we can resolve this dispute in a fair, clearheaded manner.

      2. Russell Hancock

        Re: 3,520 pints a day?

        You would have to start the day before! 3,520 a day is 2.44444 per minute every minute... i can't drink that much beer a minute... challenge failed!

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: 3,520 pints a day?

          2.444 pints a minute, I might just be able to manage it for the first minute, although from past experience the ensuing second minute is usually rather explosive....

    2. TheVogon

      Re: 3,520 pints a day?

      "Sadly, to get the same effect a human would have to down 2,000 litres of the stuff a day (3,520 pints) to ingest the amount of xanthohumol used in the study for the same period"

      Presumably best to use American beer then...

      1. Naughtyhorse

        Re: Merkin beer?

        Noes!!!!11!!!

        the humanity....

      2. Pookietoo

        Re: use American beer

        American "beer" has hops?

    3. Lars Silver badge
      Boffin

      Re: 3,520 pints a day?

      How many blueberries a day?.

    4. Trigonoceps occipitalis

      Re: 3,520 pints a day?

      It must be true. Before I'm anywhere near finishing 3,520 pints I process information twice as fast because I can see two of everything.

      1. ElReg!comments!Pierre
        Pint

        Re: 3,520 pints a day?

        Before I'm anywhere near finishing 3,520 pints I process information twice as fast because I can see two of everything.

        Fact: that's how they switched from 32-bits to 64-bits architectures.

    5. Gannon (J.) Dick
      Pint

      Re: 3,520 pints a day?

      "Sadly, to get the same effect a human would have to down 2,000 litres of the stuff a day (3,520 pints) to ingest the amount of xanthohumol used in the study for the same period, which isn't going to do anyone's cognitive functions a favour."

      All I can say is ... where there's a will there's a way

    6. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: 3,520 pints a day?

      No... that will kill you in multiple ways e.g. drowning would be the main one!

      Just take a Hops capsule or extract without the booze; I think Swansons make one.

    7. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      Re: 3,520 pints a day?

      I'm glad this number of pints is going to improve spatial memory, becasue after drinking my 176.6 pints in the first hour down the pub, I'm going to want to remember where the toilets are really, really, really urgently!

    8. jonathanb Silver badge

      Re: 3,520 pints a day?

      I doubt you could manage 3520 pints of water per day, never mind beer.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Morris Water Maze

    > Morris Water Maze

    I thought that was the one where you had bells strapped to your wet suit. Anyway, I'm sure that's what happened when I took part in such an experiment down the boozer...

  3. Ted Treen
    Pint

    Amazing...

    An interesting piece, interestingly yet humourously written and one I really enjoyed reading.

    Are you really Jasper?

    Whoever you are, have a pint! (Only approx. 3,999.5 litres to go for your RDA)

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Finally

    a story of real interest to IT professionals

  5. i like crisps
    Stop

    GAZZA'S been researching this for years...

    ...it hasn't panned out too well for him.....got to admire his dedication though!

    1. wolfetone Silver badge
      Pint

      Re: GAZZA'S been researching this for years...

      Gazza has only managed half the required amount.

      Shane McGowan is the same, but has managed 1,500 per day.

      Gérard Depardieu however could be more capable of it, but he only seems to want to drink wine.

      1. Anonymous Custard
        Windows

        Re: GAZZA'S been researching this for years...

        Well it does say the flavinoids are also found in red plonk...

        That said I'm sure they were also the enemy in some of the space shoot 'em ups I played when I was mis-spending my youth.

      2. chivo243 Silver badge
        Pint

        Re: GAZZA'S been researching this for years...

        Actually, I read several different stories about G D, and he drinks everything, vodka, whisky, pastis and even mentions beer:

        "He added: 'Then food, accompanied by two bottles of wine.

        'In the afternoon, champagne, beer and more pastis at around 5pm, to finish off the bottle.

        'Later on, vodka and/or whisky. But I’m never totally drunk, just a little p*****d.

        'All you need is a 10-minute nap and voila, a slurp of rose wine and I feel as fresh as a daisy."

        1. i like crisps
          Pint

          Re: GAZZA'S been researching this for years...

          GAZZA drinks pasties!!! Now that's HARDCORE!

      3. Khaptain Silver badge

        Re: GAZZA'S been researching this for years...

        >Gérard Depardieu however could be more capable of it, but he only seems to want to drink wine.

        I am sure that he is probably quite happy to down a pint or two of some of those tasty Belgian beers. I am heading of to Brussels next week and looking forward to our pre-meeting rdv, in the pub where else.

      4. Naughtyhorse

        Re: depa-depa-dooooo...

        3,520 pints of WINE.

        mon dieu

    2. theblackhand

      Re: GAZZA'S been researching this for years...

      Gazza has the full effect - you should have seen him before the Xanthohumol. The guy was a mess - he even signed for Spurs....

  6. auburnman
    Trollface

    I wonder how many kids who dreamed of being scientists ever thought they'd grow up to spend their days tormenting rats?

    1. Havin_it
      Boffin

      Probably a lot more than the Royal Institute would like to admit :/

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    off topic for a mo

    'Nicked iCloud snaps: Celebrities were 'dumb'- new EU digi boss'.

    You dropped the hammer on this story pretty quick, almost mistook The Reg for Google.

  8. Ginolard
    Pint

    This is not news

    Oh come on. This is hardly a revelation. I mean, everyone knows that beer kills brain cells right? It works much like a lion hunting deer. The lion will always go for the weakest, most vulnerable deer which, as a result, makes the deer herd stronger. Culling the weak ones etc etc.

    Beer works the same way by killing the weaker brain cells thereby making you smarter!

    That's certainly how I feel after a few pints anyway.

    1. i like crisps
      Pint

      Re: This is not news

      This is the kind of sound logic and reasoning that this site is famous for, BRAVO sir.

    2. Naughtyhorse

      Re: Makes sense

      and the booze chasing the grey cells round and round is what makes the room spin.

  9. Adam 1
    1. ravenviz Silver badge

      I thought Australia was upside down, not back to front like in those pics!

    2. alwarming

      > I think we all know why...

      Nice plug, but that's mostly related to relative strength of the Aussie dollar and not really related to any fundamental improvement of teaching methods.

  10. foo_bar_baz
    Coat

    Flavanoid

    Is that the gangsta version of a flavonoid?

  11. Mephistro
    Coat

    So it was true!!!

    It was the rats the ones that stole my coat and wallet in that brewery!!!

  12. Zog_but_not_the_first
    Pint

    Just in time

    The caring Government (shurley shum mistak, Ed?) have a nice little pill to stop all that.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-29468885

  13. mhenriday
    Pint

    «You only have to drink 2k litres a day to see the effect.»

    Y2K ?...

    Henri

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