Hops are the seed cones of the plant Humulus lupulus. They give beer its distinctive flavor, but they may have benefits beyond beer. An extract of hops might someday play a role in breast cancer prevention.
Do Hops Help Hot Flashes?
Postmenopausal women have been taking hops as a way to treat hot flashes without hormone replacement therapy. This suggests that the plant may have some estrogenic activity.
Scientists at the University of Illinois tested enriched extracts of the seed cones to determine how they affect estrogen metabolism. They used tissue cultures of human breast cells that are sensitive to estrogen.
Detoxifying Estrogen:
The medicinal chemists used four different compounds isolated from hops and found that one of them, 6-prenylnarigenin, activated a detoxification pathway. This might lower the risk for breast cancer.
Another compound, 8-prenylnarigenin, also increased estrogen metabolism in the cells very slightly, while two other compounds had no effect. If 6-prenylnarigenin or other extracts from H. lupulus can ease hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause while reducing the risk of breast cancer, this natural treatment might benefit many women.
Chemical Research in Toxicology, online, June 22, 2016
Other Approaches for Hot Flashes:
Hops are not the only botanical supplement that some women have used for hot flushes. A recent analysis published in JAMA (June 21, 2016) found modest support for soy isoflavones and other sources of phytoestrogens. A report from 2014 suggested that flaxseed (aka linseed), Mediterranean pine bark extract or Maca help reduce hot flashes (Maturitas, Feb., 2014). We have written about Pycnogenol, derived from French maritime pine bark, here.
In addition, acupuncture can be helpful for hot flashes and quality of life in menopause (Menopause, June, 2016). You can learn more about that from our radio interview. Research is underway to evaluate exercise, yoga, tai chi and meditation as well as acupuncture in relieving menopausal symptoms (Systematic Reviews, Apr. 7, 2016).
