Beer is good for the bones

It was that great American Benjamin Franklin who is credited with saying that “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy,” or something to that effect. As you keep your eye on the health news that comes out, you see quite a few different studies that come to the conclusion that the drinking of certain potent potables is actually good for your health. Drinking beer would definitely seem to be good for your mental health, because it tends to be relaxing and it helps to relieve stress. But just this week a study has been released that indicates that beer strengthens the bones as well. This is due to the dietary silicon that is present in beer in high densities.

Charles Bamforth from the University of California at Davis conducted the study that was published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

“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. Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon. Wheat contains less silicon than barley because it is the husk of the barley that is rich in this element. While most of the silicon remains in the husk during brewing, significant quantities of silicon nonetheless are extracted into wort, and much of this survives into beer,” states Bamforth.

So all of us beer lovers have yet another reason to enjoy that frothy libation that goes down so smoothly after a hard day at work…or a relaxing day off…or a rainy day….or a sunny day….or on a hot summer evening…or by the roaring fire in the dead of winter….well, you get the idea.