Beer: Can it help fight off the common cold?
New research suggests a curious connection between public drunkenness and a resistance to colds

Feel a cold coming on? Have a beer. Or 30.
In a new study from Sapporo — yes, the Japanese brewery — scientists found that humulone, a chemical compound in hops (which give beer its bitter taste), can help protect against the respiratory syncytial virus, or RS for short, which has been linked to cold-like symptoms in adults, says researcher Jun Fuchimoto.
Just one tiny problem. To ingest enough humulone to unlock beer's anti-viral power, you'd have to drink a lot of the brew — around 360 ounces, which works out to about 30 cans. Since that's a tad impractical, the next step, says the team, is to investigate the compound's cold-fighting benefits further and perhaps eventually add it to food and non-alcoholic beverages.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
This study is just the latest to highlight beer's surprising health benefits. Women over 25 who drank beer in moderate amounts were shown to have lower blood pressure than those who opted for wine or spirits. And dark beers often come packing several different B vitamins, as well as calcium, magnesium, and selenium — an important antioxidant that helps the immune system fight off nasty infections.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Donald Trump takes a cognitive test | May 13 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Tuesday's editorial cartoons feature a 'Bribe Force 1' 747 from Qatar, the concepts of a trade deal, ICE agents surrounding the Statue of Liberty, and cuts to Medicaid.
-
Why are white South Africans emigrating?
The Explainer As the US welcomes Afrikaner refugees, the general exodus of South Africa's white population continues to grow
-
Why the weather keeps getting 'stuck'
In the Spotlight Record hot and dry spring caused by 'blocked' area of high pressure above the UK