Beer might be good for your brain... if you're young

Cheese is good for people of any age, and, according to a research study recently conducted by Oregon State University, beer might actually help to improve your memory... but only if you're young. Scientists were able to isolate a chemical, xanthohumol, which naturally occurs in hops and -- awesomely -- is still present in beer, and tested its effects on both young and old mice. The mice were not forced to drink actual beer.

The results of the study? The scientists found that being given xanthohumol gave the young mice a "significant improvement in cognitive flexibility", which -- for those of you who haven't yet had a beer today -- means that they could remember more and performed better in tests. The old mice, unfortunately, didn't see much improvement, and probably had to hit the bar for some bottles of xanthohumol later that night.

Of course, the doses of the chemical consumed by the mice were pretty large and, to get the equivalent benefits, you'd need to drink over 500gal of beer. So... don't do that. But know that science is actively working to better your life.

Adam Lapetina is a food/drink staff writer for Thrillist, and these results totally justify his college experience. Read his musings on Twitter at @adamlapetina.