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Beer, or at least one of its ingredients, could boost brain function, a new study has found.

But a leisurely pint is unlikely to have any intellectual benefit, because a person would need to drink the equivalent of 3,520 pints (2,000 litres) a day to stand any chance of boosting their cognitive abilities.

Researchers demonstrated that xanthohumol – a type of flavonoid found in hops and beer - improved cognitive function in young mice.

Line them up: A new study has found that drinking beer could make people and animals smarter, but humans would have to drink 3,520 pints (2,000 litres) of beer to stand any chance of booting their cognitive abilities - which the scientist's don't recommend

Flavonoids are compounds found in plants that often give them their colour and scientists have been studying them in blueberries, dark chocolate and red wine to uncover any potential benefits that could help fight cancer and heart disease, for example.

Scientists hope that xanthohumol could be used to treat metabolic syndrome, a condition associated with obesity and high blood pressure, as well as age-related deficits in memory. The rare micronutrient is found in the hops, commonly used to make beer.

Experts at Oregon State University (OSU) believe they have taken a step to understanding the degradation of memory that happens with age in many mammals, including humans, because no effect was seen in older mice used in the study.

A recipe for intelligence? Researchers have demonstrated that Xanthohumol – a type of flavonoid found in hops (pictured) and beer - improve cognitive function in young mice

They studied xanthohumol in high dosages - beyond what would be naturally ingested as part of a normal diet - and found that it appears to enhance young animals' ability to adapt to changes in their environment.

The cognitive flexibility of the mice was tested with a specially designed maze and younger mice showed signs of intellectual improvement.

The levels of xanthohumol used in the study were only possible using supplements, so that if a human was to stand any chance of seeing positive cognitive effects, they would have to drink '2,000 litres of beer a day to reach the xanthohumol levels we used in this research,' the experts said.

'Xanthohumol can speed the metabolism, reduce fatty acids in the liver and, at least with young mice, appeared to improve their cognitive flexibility, or higher level thinking,' Daniel Zamzow, a former OSU doctoral student said.

'Unfortunately it did not reduce palmitoylation [a normal biological process] in older mice, or improve their learning or cognitive performance, at least in the amounts of the compound we gave them,' Dr Zamzow, who is now a lecturer at the University of Wisconsin/Rock County, added.

Kathy Magnusson, a professor at OSU, said: 'This flavonoid [xanthohumol] and others may have a function in the optimal ability to form memories.'

'Part of what this study seems to be suggesting is that it's important to begin early in life to gain the full benefits of healthy nutrition.'

Xanthohumol - in hops - is of particular interest because scientists think it would be used to treat metabolic syndrome, a condition associated with obesity and high blood pressure, as well as age-related deficits in memory. Here, volunteers pick hops at the first hop farm based in London for over 100 years