Beer drinkers now have a good excuse to order another round – the brew may help keep bones strong, a study has found.
Researchers from the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of California, have found beer is a rich source of silicon and may help prevent osteoporosis, as dietary silicon is a key ingredient for increasing bone mineral density.
These were the findings after researchers tested 100 commercial beers for silicon content and categorised 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 litre to 56.5 mg per litre. The average person’s silicon intake each day is between 20 and 50 mgs.
Read more at: Beer benefits bone density: study (Sidney Morning Herald)
