Here's some news you might welcome on the cusp of a bank holiday weekend. It's also exceptionally good news if you're a mouse.
The intrepid minds at Oregon State University carried out a study involving where they gave mice beer and it seemed to not only cause them to lose weight, but it also appeared to lower their cholesterol.
"How can this be?!" and "Tell us more??!" Well, it's all thanks to the presence of "xanthohumol", which is a flavonoid found in beer and hops.
According to Metro: "They split 48 male mice into two groups - both being fed high-fat diets, but one group given 30-60 milligrams of xanthohumol per kilogram of bodyweight each day for 12 weeks. The mice given the highest dosage of xanthuhumol ended up cutting their harmful cholesterol levels by 80%, and they gained 22% less weight than the control group - even though they were eating the same high-fat diet."
Before we all start rejoicing and bathing in (a responsible level of) beer; it's not that easy. The aforementioned mice were given a shedload of all-important xanthohumol, which caused the reported weight loss. In human terms, its the equivalent of approximately "100 pints of beer in the space of 24 hours." This is not advisable, even on the Friday of a bank holiday weekend.
On the upside, a couple of nice cold beers after a hearty meal can only help... right? RIGHT?!!
