| STRENGTHEN YOUR BONES WITH A BEER |
| Strengthen Your Bones with a Beer By: Cherish Hamutoff Beer has been moved into the health spotlight, after a study at the Department of Food Science & Technology at the University of California, Davis concluded that beer contains dietary silicon, a main ingredient for developing bone mineral density. The results of the study were published in the February 2010 issue of the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. Dietary silicon (Si) is thought to be a significant contributor to the growth and development of both bone mass and connective tissue. Because of these results, researchers suggest that a moderate amount of beer consumption may ward off osteoporosis, a bone disease resulting in loss of bone mass and tissue. The silicon present in beer is found in the soluble form of OSA (orthosilicic acid), and because of its 50% bioavailability, beer is a significant contributor of silicon absorption in the American diet. The average silicon found in the 100 commercial beers that were tested was 6.4 to 56.5 mg/L. The study focused on commercial beer production to discover the link between how beer is produced and the ensuing silicon content. Researchers discovered that the silicon content of barley altered very little in the malting process because most of the silicon is found in the husk, which doesn’t change much in the malting. The roasting process was shown to have an effect on the silicon content: the more roasting, the lower the silicon content. So, darker beers have less silicon and pale colored beers have higher amounts of silicon. Finally, higher levels of silicon are found in the hops versus the malt; up to four times as much. Lead study author, Dr. Charles Bamforth concludes, “Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon." So, drink a beer tonight, it may be good for your bones. |