DRINKING 18 PINTS of beer can give drinkers enough quantities of a chemical compound which can help fight off a cold – and even more serious conditions like pneumonia.

A chemical compound in hops, called ‘humulone’, has been found to be effective in curbing the respiratory syncytial (RS) virus which can be particularly troublesome to younger people.

A word of warning, however: the study, undertaken at Sapporo Medical University in Japan, was funded by one of the country’s largest breweries.

Throwing an even greater spanner in the works is the fact that the virus is most dangerous to infants, who are evidently outside of the target market for beers – though the virus also causes cold-like symptoms among adults.

“The RS virus can cause serious pneumonia and breathing difficulties for infants and toddlers, but no vaccination is available at the moment to contain it,” said Jun Fuchimoto, a researcher from the Sapporo Breweries company.

“We are now studying the feasibility of applying humulone to food or non-alcoholic products,” he said, adding: ”The challenge really is that the bitter taste is going to be difficult for children.”

Additional reporting by AFP