The Russell Partnership’s Weekly Nutrition Surgery

Drink Beer for Strong Bones

It is always heartening to read good news nutrition stories. So much of what makes the headlines is negative, advocating abstaining from our favourite foods and drinks in a bid to stay healthy. At last there is good news for beer drinkers though: a recent study has suggested that beer is a significant source of silicon, which is a key nutrient for helping to increase bone mineral density.

Medical News Today reported on how researchers from the Department of Food Science & Technology at the University of California studied commercial beer production to determine the relationship between beer production methods and the resulting silicon content, concluding that beer is a rich source of dietary silicon.

The study’s lead author, Charles Bamforth, reported that “The factors in brewing that influence silicon levels in beer have not been extensively studied”, but nonetheless silicon is present in beer in the soluble form of orthosilicic acid (OSA), which yields 50% bioavailability, making beer a major contributor to silicon intake in the Western diet.

Silicon’s benefits may include helping in the growth and development of bone and connective tissue. Based on these findings, some studies have even gone so far as to suggest that moderate beer consumption may help fight osteoporosis, a disease characterised by low bone density. Somewhat ironically however, it is women - who are less likely to be supping a pint - who are at greatest risk of this disease, not men.