A new study conducted by Japanese brewer Kirin, Tokyo University and Gakushuin University suggests a positive effect of beer on Alzheimer’s patients. A diet of iso-alpha acids, which come from cooked hops and are contained in every beer, promote the production of microglia. Microglia are immune cells in the brain which fight amyloid beta, a peptide which plays a key role in triggering Alzheimer’s disease.
In the study, mice which were fed with food containing iso-alpha acids, showed 50% less amyloid beta in their brains and had better cognitive functions compared to other mice.
The research might not only show a way for designing new Alzheimer’s drugs but might also be an evidence for the positive effects of beer.
Alzheimer's disease, also known as just Alzheimer's, is a brain disease that causes a slow decline in memory, thinking and reasoning skills. It is a widespread illness with approximately 48 million people worldwide affected in 2015, which often begins in people over 65 years. It was first described by, and later named after, German psychiatrist and pathologist Alois Alzheimer in 1906.
