The Study
Disposition of hop prenylflavonoids in human breast tissue.
This is a randomized experiment where some women took hop supplements and others didn't. Because they were randomly assigned to groups, we can be confident the supplements caused the differences found in their breast tissue. The researchers measured what happened inside the body, not just whether people got sick or not. This kind of study is one of the best ways to test if something works!
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Researchers gave women hop supplements containing xanthohumol, isoxanthohumol, and 8-prenylnaringenin for 5 days before breast surgery. They then measured how much of these compounds reached breast tissue and whether they could cause estrogen-like effects.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 554 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1While the compounds do accumulate in breast tissue, their estrogenic effect is so small it would not meaningfully impact breast tissue.
- 2The study found the estrogenic potency was hundreds of times lower than the body's own estrogen.
- 3Hop compounds reached breast tissue: xanthohumol (0.26-5.14 pmol/g), isoxanthohumol (1.16-83.67 pmol/g).
- 4However, these amounts produced negligible estrogenic activity compared to natural estrogen in breast tissue.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Molecular nutrition & food research
Year
2010
Authors
S. Bolca, Jinghu Li, D. Nikolić, N. Roche, P. Blondeel, S. Possemiers, D. de Keukeleire, M. Bracke, A. Heyerick, R. V. van Breemen, H. Depypere
Related Content
Claims (2)
When women took hop supplements every day for 5 days, the natural compounds in the hops were found in their breast tissue at measurable amounts, showing that these compounds can be absorbed by the body and stored in breast tissue.
A compound found in hops called 8-prenylnaringenin can act like the hormone estrogen in the body. It might attach to estrogen receptors and could potentially cause fat to build up around the belly area.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.