Beer drinkers all over the world, rejoice! Your favorite alcoholic beverage might be keeping you out of cancer trouble.

A compound found only in hops and the main product they are used in, beer, has rapidly gained interest as a micronutrient that might help prevent many types of cancer, researchers at the Oregon State University state said.

They first studied the cancer-related properties of this flavonoid compound called xanthohumol about 10 years ago. A recent publication by an OSU researcher in the journal Phytochemistry outlines the range of findings made since then.

Many other scientists in programs around the world are also beginning to look at the value of these hops flavonoids for everything from preventing prostate or colon cancer to hormone replacement therapy for women.
"Xanthohumol is one of the more significant compounds for cancer chemoprevention that we have studied", said Fred Stevens, a researcher with OSU's Linus Pauling Institute and an assistant professor of medicinal chemistry in the College of Pharmacy.

Quite a bit is now known about the biological mechanism of action of this compound and the ways it may help prevent cancer or have other metabolic value.

But even before most of those studies have been completed, efforts are under way to isolate and market it as a food supplement. A "health beer" with enhanced levels of the compound is already being developed.