Beer Bones

Beer drinkers are toasting a new study which suggests that beer is good for your bones as it is rich in silicon and may help prevent osteoporosis. “These were the findings after researchers tested 100 commercial beers for silicon content and categorized the data according to beer style and source. Previous research has suggested beer contained silicon but little was known about how silicon levels varied with the different types of beer and malting processes. ‘We have examined a wide range of beer styles for their silicon content and have also studied the impact of raw materials and the brewing process on the quantities of silicon that enter wort and beer,’ researcher Charles Bamforth said in a statement. The study, published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, found the beers’ silicon content ranged from 6.4 milligrams per liter to 56.5 mg per liter. The average person’s silicon intake each day is between 20 and 50 mgs. The researchers found there was little change in the silicon content of barley during the malting process as most of the silicon in barley is in the husk, which is not affected greatly during malting. They found pale ales showed the highest silicon content while non-alcoholic beers, light lagers and wheat beers had the least silicon.”