Cheers to Strong Bones

Health care news typically focuses on morbid warnings about things that shorten your life, kill you, or worse yet, cause hair loss. The story is then followed by specific instructions on how to avoid eating, drinking, breathing, or exposing your skin to the once-innocuous, now-deadly stuff.

Here is a health story with a positive spin…if you like beer.

An inspiring research study demonstrated that beer is good for your health. (Yes, you did just hear the sound of violin music and dancing in the streets!) I have been making this claim about beer for years,  and no one listened.
Now there is some science to back it up.

Researchers at the University of California Davis recently announced their study indicating that drinking beer can help prevent fragile bones. Rumor has it that the National Federation of Bowling Leagues has honored lead researcher Charles Bamforth and his colleague Troy Casey with lifetime achievement awards. Other organizations and individuals, including Softball Players United, TailGaters of America, and Norm from the TV show Cheers, are lined up with trophies in hand.

But, you ask, is this study really good science, or is it some sort of tabloid “research”? The research paper, titled “Silicon in Beer and Brewing,” was published in the January/February issue of the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture. Another article in the same journal was titled “Capsaicin Accumulation Is Related to Nitrate Content in Placentas of Habanero Peppers.” Legitimacy verified.

The magic ingredient in beer is silicon—not to be confused with silicone or California’s Silicon Valley. The authors report that beer is a good source of dietary silicon, which is important for bone growth and  development. They also suggest that drinking beer regularly makes women less apt to suffer from osteoporosis after menopause.

The researchers studied 100 different commercial beers, purchased at the local grocery, and found that the silicon content ranged from 6.4 to 56.5 parts per million (ppm). They determined that pale malt ales contain more silicon than darker brews. Let me recommend one of my favorites, India Pale Ale, coming in with a whopping 41.2 ppm of silicon.

Although there is no official recommendation for daily silicon intake, researchers say that a drinker could get enough of the nutrient from just 2 beers. (Yes, the researchers refer to the “nutrient” in beer!)

Also jumping on the beer-wagon, the National Institutes of Health stated that silicon may be important for the growth and development of bones and that beer appears to be a major contributor of silicon in the diet.

This statement has made many skeptics optimistic about the role of government in health care.

I imagine that we will soon see beer commercials with guys simultaneously watching football, playing darts, and swirling frosty mugs of beer, with a voiceover claiming that this particular brand of suds is good for skeletal health. Or the romantic version: a commercial where a man presents his true love with a 6-pack and coos, “Honey, this is for you, because I care about your bones.”

Maybe we’ll even see public health initiatives touting the healthful properties of beer, such as “Brewski’s are good for bone-ski’s,” or “Chug an ale for what ails you,” or “Build your bones but don’t drive.”

The experts tell us that if you want more silicon in your diet but don’t want beer, try oat bran, granola, and dates. Dried fruit and oats—sounds like a rather sober happy hour.

If you choose the beer bone-building dietary program, enjoy your brew in moderation. Stumbling and breaking a bone would defeat the purpose.

Benjamin Franklin said, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.” Now science gives us a reason to be happy, too.

Cheers to your strong bones!