Mystery ingredients in non-alcoholic beer seem to protect against cancer, at least in mice.

Rodents fed cancer-causing chemicals suffered 85 percent less DNA damage to the liver, lungs and kidneys if also given non-alcoholic beer, compared to mice fed the chemicals but with only water to drink, researchers at Japan’s Okayama University found.

Although drinking too much alcohol could increase the risk of certain types of cancer, researcher Sakae Arimoto-Kobayashi thinks unknown ingredients in the non-alcoholic beer prevented the toxic chemicals damaging the DNA.

“If these compounds can be identified, brewers might be able to produce beers particularly rich in them, or they could be added to foods,” New Scientist magazine said on Wednesday.

The mice were given only non-alcoholic beer so the researchers could not say if moderate consumption of regular beer would have any benefit.

“The total benefits and risks of beer with alcohol are still under consideration,” Arimoto-Kobayashi told the magazine.