Like beer? Well, before you go chug-a-lugging it to a fare-thee-well, see what the latest research reveals about its cancer-fighting benefits.

German researchers say, that beer contains a potent prostate- and- breast-cancer fighter. A molecule in hops, responsible for the flavor of beer, called "xanthohumol," blocks the excessive action of testosterone and estrogen, making it an effective agent against prostate and breast cancer. This molecule also halts the release of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein that ignites the spread of prostate cancer which is diagnosed in about 200,000 men in the United States each year and kills about 27,000 annually, according to the American Cancer Society.

"We hope that one day we can demonstrate that xanthohumol prevents prostate cancer development, first in animal models and then in humans, but we are just at the beginning," said Clarissa Gerhauser, group leader of cancer chemoprevention in the division of epigenomics and cancer risk factors at the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg.

Wait a minute, not so fast! Not all beers are created equally, though. The scientists point out that the beers that appear to have the highest amounts of xanthohumol are only bitters and ales.

Not everyone is buying the latest scientific find surrounding the beer and cancer prevention link, though. Dr. Durado Brooks, director of prostate and colorectal cancer at the American Cancer Society, said that if beer could prevent prostate cancer, we would see a decrease in the rate. "Like a lot of findings, it's way too early. Showing that something works in a test tube and that you can impact rat prostates is a long way from demonstrating any sort of viability in humans," he said.

Gulping down beer in excess is not something that Dr. Brooks recommends either. So stay tuned....