A study done by researchers
from the Department of Food Science & Technology at the University of
California, Davis suggests that beer is a significant source of dietary silicon, a key ingredient for
increasing bone mineral density. They studied commercial beer production to
determine the relationship between certain beer production methods and their
resulting silicon content.
Silicon is present in beer in the
soluble form of orthosilicic acid (OSA) and 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. More so in men than women, beer appears to be a
major contributor to Si intake in the Western society. Based on these findings, some studies suggest
moderate beer consumption may help fight osteoporosis.
The researchers examined a variety of raw material
samples and found little change in the silicon content of barley during the malting process. The study states that "The malts with the
higher silicon contents were pale colored which had less heat stress during the
malting process. The darker products, such as the chocolate, roasted barley and
black malt, all had substantial roasting and much lower silicon contents than
the other malts". They also analyzed hop samples, which showed surprisingly high levels of silicon
with as much as four times more silicon than was found in malt. However, hops
are used in a much smaller quantity than is grain.The study also tested 100 commercial beers for silicon content and categorized the data according to beer style and source. The average silicon content of the beers sampled was 6.4 to 56.5 mg/L and the average intake of silicon in the Western population is 20-50 mg Si/day.
It’s great to see benefits from alcohol, especially beer, because of how prevalent it is in our society. People will always consume alcohol and though it has a pretty negative connotation, its nice to see a positive aspect.
Posted by Samuel Ustayev (6)
Great article! I would imagine that the concentration of silicon in the soil determines its concentration in the grains used to make the beer. If there are locations with much more silicon in their soil than others, then it seems to me like the thing to do is find those fields and to make beer from produce in those fields for medicinal purposes.
ReplyDelete-JE
Thats an interesting point. I don't know if its the soil or the barley/malt itself that contains the silicon and the brewing process helps bring it out. Something to look into.
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ReplyDeleteThis article makes me wonder about the people of ancient civilizations that first created and drank beer, if we were to analyze their bones, would they should a higher concentration of silicon? Also, in more current research, is there a different between the health of lighter vs. darker beer and silicon content, a glass of red wine is good for your heart, so is a glass a beer a day going to help is osteoporosis?
ReplyDelete-Thomas Flores
You bring up a good point. I read that lighter brews contain more silicon than darker. The research states that silicon helps in osteoporosis and since beer is one of the largest ways we consume silicon, it can help.
DeleteI like how your post showed a new positive aspect of beer drinking. You say beer is a leading contributor for Si intake Western society. Most people don't drink beer everyday, so I wonder how this impacts Si intake. Is the Si you would receive from drinking beer on occasion enough?
ReplyDeletePosted by Morgan Matuszko
There are studies that say people tend to consume an average of between 20 mg and 50 mg of silicon a day, and studies suggest that people should get at least 46. The silicon content of beer ranges from 6.4 mg/L to 56.5 mg/L, with an average of 30 mg/L. So if you're not getting enough silicon in your diet, beer can help.
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