Hops compounds improve health of obese diabetic mice

A class of compounds found in hops, the crop generally known for its role in beer production, reduces weight gain in obese and diabetic mice, according to a study published Mar. 28 in the open access journal PLoS ONE. Eight weeks of treatment with the compounds, called tetrahydro iso-alpha acids, also reduced gut permeability and normalized insulin sensitivity markers in the mice, among other beneficial metabolic effects.

Hops have been known to contain anti-inflammatory compounds with potential medicinal uses for metabolic disorders, like insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, which are associated with low-grade inflammation. These new results suggest a novel mechanism contributing to the positive effects of the investigated treatment, the authors write. The work was led by Patrice Cani of the Université catholique de Louvain in Brussels, Belgium.

Citation: Everard A, Geurts L, Van Roye M, Delzenne NM, Cani PD (2012) Tetrahydro iso-Alpha Acids from Hops Improve Glucose Homeostasis and Reduce Body Weight Gain and Metabolic Endotoxemia in High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice. PLoS ONE 7(3): e33858. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033858

Financial Disclosure: NMD and PDC are recipients of Fonds spe´ciaux de recherches, UCL, Belgium and Fonds de la recherche scientifique me´ dicale, Belgium grants. PDC is a recipient of grants from the Socie´te´ francophone du Diabe` te, France. This study was supported by Metagenics, Inc., United States of America. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.

Competing Interest Statement: This study was supported by Metagenics, Inc., United States of America. This does not alter the authors' adherence to all the PLoS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. The funder Metagenics, Inc., United States of America, have nothing to declare relating to employment, consultancy, patents, products in development or marketed products in this study.

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