ABSTRACT
Beer is a highly popular fermented alcoholic beverage known for its high content of bioactive compounds, including phenolic constituents, bitter acids, vitamins, melanoidins, and essential oils. They are derived from both malted barley (70–80%) and hops (20–30%). Many of the original compounds undergo substantial transformations during brewing and fermentation. As main phytochemicals in beer, polyphenols cover structurally extremely diverse compounds: various types of flavonoids, including prenylflavonoids, proanthocyanidins, chalcones, and non-flavonoids, mainly phenolic acids. Scientific evidence shows that many of these constituents, especially those derived from hops, have the potential in preventing cancer. Xanthohumol is a hop-derived flavonoid found in beer, which has been widely examined for its health-protecting role. It has been found to be effective against many lifestyle-related illnesses, and its antitumorigenic protective effect was proven by numerous in vitro and in vivo experiments. The aim of this chapter is to give a general presentation of the major phytochemicals in beer, especially polyphenols, and xanthohumol. Another objective is to summarize existing information on the role of these compounds within nutritional benefits and health-related aspects of beer, that is, prevention of cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases. Risks of excessive beer consumption are also shortly outlined.
