The best news all day – the chemicals in beer can cure cancer, so drink up

As if we need another excuse to drink beer – apparently now it can cure cancer.

By Genna Patterson

According to Uproxx.com, the entertainment website, and not Harvard University (does the source really matter when it helps us drink more beer?), beer has antimicrobial properties that may cure cancer.

The information comes from a report by the University of Washington (good enough for us) and examines that the 'bittering acids' in beer, in moderation (damn), has beneficial effects on diabetes, some forms of cancer, inflammation and perhaps even weight loss (what about beer bellies?).

The bitter taste in beer comes from a chemical called humulone, which also keeps beer fresh. During the brewing process humulone molecules are rearranged to contain a ring with five carbon atoms instead of six – two groups are formed at the end of the process and can be constructed in four different ways. If they are paired together correctly they’ll fit like a nut and bolt, thus making a unique chemical structure that can have the beneficial effects listed above.

The only bad news is that drinking lots of beer wont actually cure you of cancer or help you lose weight – the quantities of humulone are too low in your average beer. However, this has lead scientists to further test out the chemicals and their possibilities. And any research involving guzzling beer has our thumbs up.