A type of flavonoid found in hops and beer improves cognitive function in young mice, scientists have found.
The flavonoid Xanthohumol has been of particular interest to researchers because of possible value in treating metabolic syndrome, a condition associated with obesity, high blood pressure and other concerns, including age-related deficits in memory.
The compound has been used successfully to lower body weight and blood sugar in a rat model of obesity.
The new research studied use of xanthohumol in high dosages, far beyond what could be obtained just by diet.
At least in young animals, it appeared to enhance their ability to adapt to changes in the environment. This cognitive flexibility was tested with a special type of maze designed for that purpose.
"Our goal was to determine whether xanthohumol could affect a process we call palmitoylation, which is a normal biological process but in older animals may become harmful," said Daniel Zamzow, a former Oregon State University doctoral student and now a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin/Rock County.
"Xanthohumol can speed the metabolism, reduce fatty acids in the liver and, at least with young mice, appeared to improve their cognitive flexibility, or higher level thinking," Zamzow said.
"Unfortunately it did not reduce palmitoylation in older mice, or improve their learning or cognitive performance, at least in the amounts of the compound we gave them," he said.
"This flavonoid and others may have a function in the optimal ability to form memories," said Kathy Magnusson, a professor in the OSU Department of Biomedical Sciences, principal investigator with the Linus Pauling Institute and corresponding author on the study.
It's also important to note, Magnusson said, that the levels of xanthohumol used in the study were only possible with supplements.
As a fairly rare micronutrient, the only normal dietary source of it would be through the hops used in making beer, and a human would have to drink 2000 litres of beer a day to reach the xanthohumol levels used in this research, Magnusson said.
The study was published in Behavioral Brain Research.
