14 DAY TRIAL // Experts have been recently able to demonstrate that beer actually has a number of good effects on the human body, including the fact that it promotes bone health. That is to say, the investigation has evidenced the fact that the fermented beverage is actually a major source of dietary silicone, which is one of the key ingredients promoting bone health. This research was conducted by scientists on over 100 brands of commercially available beer, so chances are that the population groups consuming this type of alcohol are already experiencing its beneficial effects.
The study team however highlights the fact that beer should be consumed in a responsible manner, and that a person does not need to drink a gallon of beer per day in order to get his or her required amount of dietary silicon, LiveScience reports. The investigators uncovered that commercial beer brands incorporated between 6.4 and 54.5 milligrams of silicone per liter, with an average of 30 milligrams per liter. This means that most Americans consuming two beers per day get 30 milligrams of the compound. At this point, there is no official recommendation as to how much dietary silicone should be consumed per day, but most of the population averages 20 to 50 milligrams.
The new finding agrees with other studies, which have already shown that consuming more than one or two alcoholic beverages per day can have significant, long-lasting effects on one's health. “Choose the beer you enjoy. Drink it in moderation. It is contributing silicon (and more) to your good health,” expert Charles Bamforth, the lead researcher on the new investigation, says. He and his team are based at the University of California in Davis (UCD) Department of Food Science and Technology. Details of the work, which Bamforth conducted with colleague Troy Casey, appear in the February issue of the respected scientific Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.
“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,” the expert says. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reveals that the particular type of silicon in beer – orthosilicic acid – has a 50-percent bioavailability, which is very high considering that the silicone in bananas, for instance, has only a three-percent bioavailability.