Japanese brewery Sapporo conducted a study that discovered there is a chemical compound in hops (what gives beer its bitter taste) that can fight off the common cold. Problem is: You have to drink a lot of it. Challenge accepted.
The chemical in question is called humulone, which can provide an effective defense against a virus that can cause severe forms of pneumonia and bronchitis.
I’m not sure I believe that; my friend once felt a cold coming on, tossed an Airborne in his beer, and subsequently caught pneumonia. But perhaps he just hadn’t drank enough. That may actually be the case, because in order to really get the benefits that humulone provides, you’d have to drink about thirty beers.
On the one hand: cold free! On the other: you’ve ruined every relationship you’ve had and you’ll never find love.
Trade-off, I suppose?
Anyway, the discovery now has scientists looking at ways to bring humulone to the populous in other ways. Putting it in food, drinking water, etc., to increase our resistance to the common cold.
Because not everyone’s going to take the thirty beer challenge just to fight off a cold.
Question: Thirty beers, huh?