Xanthohumol and Beer

[DeanGreen]

Has anyone had any favorable experiences with this compound found in hops? I have been diagnosed with PD for 5 yrs. I noticed the morning after playing music and drinking beer, my symptoms (tremors, inability to type w/ both hands) were significantly reduced. This effect lasted most of the day. I have had the same experience before, but did not remember the particular beer (guess I had too much). This time I remembered the beer and it was Lagunitas Maximus (dose = 4 x 12 oz). I repeated the experiment w/o playing music and got virtually the same results. Lagunitas Maximus is an American IPA w/ a strong hop aroma and flavor and thought that maybe the hops contributed to my observation. I tried various other IPAs w/ negative results. After doing a bit of research, I found out that xanthohumol, a flavonoid found in hops has very potent anticancer and antioxidant properties. A recent scientific article (J. Nutritional Biochemistry 24 (2013) 1953) demonstrated that xanthohumol has neuroprotectant properties and promotes neuronal differentiation in mouse cell cultures. I again tried to repeat the experiment w/ the Maximus beer, but this time it did not work (I was wondering if this last batch was low in xanthohumol?).

I researched beers and found out that Odells IPA is high in xanthohumol. I can't get it here in GA and wonder if anybody w/ PD would mind experimenting w/ this beer and reporting the results.

[mikaele]

maybe it's not pd you have but

essential tremor. et your tremors go away after drinking

[DeanGreen in reply to mikaele]

If only that was true......been diagnosed with both PD & ET.

[salon]

my tremors ease up after a beer so i guess it helps never thought about it

[JohnPepper]

Hi DeanGreen. I do not like beer, preferring a glass of red wine. But this is not about drinking it is about the beneficial effects of taking Xanthohumol, which I have never heard of. I do know that my tremors are far worse, when I am stressed and drinking alcohol reduces stress (temporarily), but we cannot expect to overcome any of our symptoms by drinking or eating various substances. The only way to deal with any of our symptoms is to exercise our bodies and our brains. Especially our brains! You would be surprised at how much better you will feel after doing regular exercise for both body and brain. Remember! Don't go at it like a bull in a china shop. Start off slowly and build up to a maximum of one hour, three times a week. For those of you who are not willing to do exercise, then you will have to take the easy route and suffer the consequences.

Happy New Year everybody!

John

[DeanGreen in reply to JohnPepper]

Thanks for your reply, John. Although I like red wine, it sometimes triggers headaches as well as disturbs my sleep. Although red wine has beneficial effects for many people, I don't think it is good for me. That said, after reading "Grain Brain", I'm beginning to think our diet may be affecting a proportion of people who are genetically sensitive to certain foods that may cause brain inflammation. I have also read that too much aerobic exercise may actually increase oxidative stress (I used to be an avid runner) and aggravate PD. So trying to elucidate the causes of PD is a challenging brain exercise. Sort of reminds me of particle physics where a myriad of new atomic particles were constantly being discovered, but are really various manifestations of some fundamental physical law. Maybe by sifting through all the anecdotes on how folks deal with PD, can one possibly find an underlying thread.

[JohnPepper in reply to DeanGreen]

Hi DeanGreen. I find that difficult SuDoku puzzles are the best brain exercise. I also like reading, but it tends to make me doze off, thus disturbing my already deficient night sleep. If you don't use it, you lose it, seems to be a reality with us.

John

[jillannf6]

Sure nif you don't use it u lose It has tobevtrue

Loljill