As if you need another excuse to drink a few beers this weekend, a new study has suggested that hops may in fact improve your chances of keeping your liver healthy, contrary to popular belief that beer destroys the liver.
Need another excuse to drink some amber nectar this weekend? A new study suggests that beer hops may actually help stave off liver disease.
The research, published in Alcohol and Alcoholism, suggests that while those who drink spirits are more likely to develop liver disease, hops found in beer protect against the build up of hepatic fat in the liver.
The study also suggest that drinking beers with a higher hop content, like ales, is better for you than drinking lager.
The build up of hepatic fat in the liver is one of the major dangers of drinking as it can cause fatty liver disease.
Researchers set out to test which alcohol beverages caused the biggest build up of fat in the liver by feeding ca group of mice pure ethanol, hoppy beer and beer without hops.
After twelve hours of boozing, the mice had their livers examined. It was found that the mice who drank pure ethanol and hop-free beer had higher amounts of fat in their liver, while the mice who drank the sweet hoppy ales had far less, leading the researchers to conclude that hops help protect against the accumulation of liver fat.
I know what I’m drinking this weekend.
First seen on IFL Science.
