Beer is Good for Your Bones

Posted By elissa on Feb 9, 2010 | 2 comments

Even if it’s not quite as good for your waistline.

A recent study from my alma mater, the University of California at Davis, looked at the impact of brewing methods on beer’s content of orthosilicic acid – a highly bioavailable source of silicon.

What’s so important about silicon?

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. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), dietary silicon (Si), as soluble OSA, may be important for the growth and development of bone and connective tissue, and beer appears to be a major contributor to Si intake. Based on these findings, some studies suggest moderate beer consumption may help fight osteoporosis, a disease of the skeletal system characterized by low bone mass and deterioration of bone tissue.

The precise role silicon plays in human  bone/connective tissue health has not been completely elucidated, but there’s some fairly convincing evidence of its importance.

Oh, and beer contains antioxidants too, so while it’s not a license to guzzle, performing the occasional “12 oz. curl” does have its advantages. 😉