You might think that beer is bad for your wellness, but researchers have found that with the right configuration of humulones, which are the substances derived from hops that give beer its distinctive flavour, the wellbeing of people with diabetes, some type of cancer and other maladies could be improved with new medications.
According to Werner Kaminsky, a University of Washington research associate professor of chemistry, ‘Now that we have the right results, what happens to the bitter hops in the beer-brewing process makes a lot more sense’. Kaminsky is the lead author of a paper describing the findings, which were the result of a century-old observational technique and published this month in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition.
It has already been hinted that the bittering acids in beer can, in moderation, improve diabetes, some forms of cancer, inflammation and perhaps even weight loss. This led Kaminsky to use a process called X-ray crystallography to figure out the exact structure of those acids, humulone molecules and some of their derivatives. All of these are produced from hops in the brewing process, and researchers need to know their structures in order to successfully incorporate them into new medications.
Kaminsky discovered that, during the brewing process, humulone molecules are rearranged to contain a ring with five carbon atoms instead of six. After this, two side groups, which can be configured in four different ways, are formed. The groups can be on opposite sides of the ring, or both above or below it.
Kaminsky explained that the form the molecule takes determines its ‘handedness’, and how a particular humulone will react with another substance. Pairing the two incorrectly would be like placing a right hand into a left-handed glove, which is dangerous in medications. Kaminsky said that some compounds the team discovered have been proven to affect specific illnesses, but a slight difference in how the carbon atoms are arranged could render those same compounds ineffective.
‘Now that we know which hand belongs to which molecule, we can determine which molecule goes to which bitterness taste in beer,’ Kaminsky said, though he affirmed that while ‘excessive beer consumption cannot be recommended to propagate good health, isolated humulones and their derivatives can be prescribed with documented health benefits.’
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