Anyone Fancy a Beer?

While many of us indulge in a ‘medicinal’ beer or two regularly, it may come as a surprise to learn that beer has actually been either used or investigated for its medicinal properties for centuries. And boy! It sure can make you feel better, but of course that doesn’t prove a thing.

As long as 2,000 years ago ancient Nubians—a kingdom which would now be in what is the Sudan—made beer that is thought to have antibiotic properties. Investigations in the 1980s by George Armelagos, an anthropologist from Emory University in Atlanta, recovered human remains that seemed to have high concentrations of tetracycline in them, even though it hadn’t been discovered. The reason for this is thought to be related to beer. The Nubians brewed beer in vats, a prime stomping ground for the soil-based bacteria named Streptomyces, which is responsible for making tetracycline. The Nubian mechanisms for making beer differed from those used today due to the fact that they made it from bread. The wheat grains for the bread were germinated before being made into flour and then made into dough, which was partially cooked, leaving the center raw. The bread was placed into a concoction of unmilled grains and left to ferment to create their beer. I suspect it didn’t quite taste like a bottle of Bud but they do seem to have harnessed the antibiotic properties of the brew.

Hops didn’t enter into the brewing process until the 15th Century in England, but they are the flowers of the hop plant, which assists in preservation and taste of the tipple. They have extensive anti-bacterial properties and help create a balanced taste between the sweetness of the malt and the bitterness that they inherently carry. They have also been used historically in herbal medicine for anxiety and insomnia due to the alpha acid 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol, which results from the breakdown of alpha acids. Historically used as an anesthetic, it is thought that this could be responsible for the calming effects that they could create.

From an alcohol point of view there are two distinct schools of thought as to the medicinal impact. Low to moderate alcohol consumption is thought to confer benefits on the cardiovascular system due to the effect they have on high density lipoproteins (HDLs), cellular signaling, platelet function in clot formation, and clot dissolution. And indeed there have also been claims that it can extend life-span, improve libido, protect against the common cold, reduce the chance of developing dementia, reduce the risk of gallstones, and decrease the odds of developing Type II diabetes. The only thing is that these claims are all related to alcohol and not beer or hops.

So what’s the score with beer? Because beer is made from hops it differs from other alcoholic beverages—wine is thought to have different medicinal properties due to the anti-oxidants found in the grapes—and it is the chemical properties that are found in the make-up of the hops which have become of increasing interest in developing pharmaceuticals. Although the rumblings have been going on literally for centuries, harnessing the capabilities of these little treasures is the difficult part.

In 2009 a study published in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research demonstrated that hop bitter acids (HBA) had anti-inflammatory effect on fibroblasts, which play an important part in the anti-inflammatory pathway. In 2006, research presented in the Journal Maturitas illustrated that the hop extract 8-prenylnaringenin (8-PN) had a positive impact on menopausal symptoms. And in 2008 evidence presented in Phytotherapy Research suggested that xanthohumol extracted from hops (Humulus lupulus L.) inhibited growth in hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. These are just a few of the studies. The chemical components of hops have also been suggested to be effective in managing infection, HIV, acne, weight loss, CV diseases, and liver disease.

But the most recent hop research is probably some of the most promising in recent years. Extracting the active chemical candidate ingredients and being able to successfully and repeatedly replicate them would mean that there would no longer be the need to extract them from the plants. Kristopher Waynant, who is based in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Idaho, and his team are working on creating humulones, the alpha acids that have anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects found in hops, as well as lupulones, which are beta acids that demonstrate similar beneficial qualities.

Presenting their work at the 2016 National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society in San Diego, Waynant outlined their progress in creating a library of analytical standards for the two compounds. In order to be able to synthesize pharmaceutical agents researchers need to be able to compare them to standards that currently do not exist. Even if researchers manage to extract what they think are the pharmacologically active compounds they currently have no way of verifying that they have the right one. If it is possible to make them artificially then it is possible to easily recognize them. The researchers are in the process of creating synthetic humulones and lupulones in the laboratory.

Phloroglucinol was their starting point, and through various chemical reactions they’re currently in a situation where they have synthesized three different humulones. However, as successful as this has been, the initial pathways that were investigated have not been the most efficient; therefore they are still ‘tweaking’ the step-by-step processes in order to have the most streamlined approach to creating the compounds.

Once this process is perfected the possibilities for investigating the pharmacological activities of these drug candidates will open up massively and is incredibly exciting for development scientists. The plans for the laboratory are to work to extend the range of humulones and lupulones that they are able to synthesize, and work closely with the creative minds in drug development to develop compounds that are able to treat cancers and inflammatory disease. Going forward the horizon is looking incredibly promising. The small hop may certainly come into its own and potentially create a giant leap in the therapeutic use of the little gem. Here’s one thing to keep in mind. Next time you order your beer, get an IPA (Indian Pale Ale). This is the ‘hoppiest’ of the beers and may turn out to be a true medicinal fixer.