Tuesday, June 13, 2006

More Good News From the World of Science

Beer and pizza can help prevent prostate cancer:

"PORTLAND, Ore. - For many men, a finding by Oregon researchers sounds too good to be true: An ingredient in beer seems to help prevent prostate cancer, at least in lab experiments.

The trouble is you'd theoretically have to drink about 17 beers a day for any potential benefit. And no one's advising that.

Researchers at Oregon State University say that the compound xanthohumol, found in hops, inhibits a protein in the cells along the surface of the prostate gland. The protein acts like a switch that turns on a variety cancers, including prostate cancer.

Dr. Richard N. Atkins, CEO of the National Prostate Cancer Coalition, said the experiments are encouraging and "perhaps men could take it in pill form someday."He noted that lycopene, an ingredient in tomatoes, and thus also in tomato sauce, has previously been linked to prostate cancer prevention."It's every man's dream to hear that beer and pizza can prevent cancer," he said. "However, the 17 beers and four large pizzas needed to get enough xanthohumol and lycopene to help prevent prostate cancer is unfortunately not advised."


Damn. There's always a catch.


5 comments:

Stephen Blackmoore said...

Aha! But wait, a German company has supposedly come up with a brew that contains 10 times the amount of xanthohumol normally found in beer.

Just think, now if you drink 17 beers you get 170 TIMES the benefit. Isn't science grand?

For The Trees said...

No wonder we all got beer guts. We're just trying to stay healthy.

Richard Cooper said...

I have heard that the breweries will be injecting large amounts of xanthohumol into beer, so keep your kegerators cool and your beer taps at the ready!

Cornelia Read said...

Almost makes me wish I had a prostate.

But, you know, not REALLY.

Patrick Shawn Bagley said...

Pizza and beer as health food...yes! Now if only some scientist will discover that sitting on one's ass and watching football actually burns calories, I'll live to be 140.