Beer: Does a Body Good?

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Beer may be giving milk a run for its money as a beverage to build strong bones. A new study found beer is a significant source of dietary silicon, a key ingredient for increasing bone mineral density.

Researchers at the University of California, Davis studied the relationship between beer production methods and the resulting silicon content. The group examined a wide variety of brewing styles for their brewing content and studied the impact of raw materials and the brewing process on the amount of silicon in the beer.

They found beer is a large contributor to silicon intake in the diet of many Americans. Experts say dietary silicon is important to the development of bone and connective tissue. These findings led researchers to conclude that moderate beer consumption may help prevent osteoporosis, a disease of the skeletal system characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue.

The study also involved testing 100 commercial beers for silicon content.

"Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon," professor of brewing sciences at the University of California, Davis, Dr. Charles Bamforth, Ph.D., was quoted as saying. "Wheat contains less silicon than barley because it is the husk of the barley that is rich in this element."

SOURCE: Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, February 2010

If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Melissa Medalie at mmedalie@ivanhoe.com