Lead author Charles Bamforth says the study suggests that beer is a significant source of dietary silicon, a key ingredient for increasing bone mineral density.
Bamforth and colleagues studied commercial beer production to determine the relationship between beer production methods and the resulting silicon content.
Silicon is present in beer in the soluble form of orthosilicic acid, which yields 50 percent bioavailability, making beer a major contributor to silicon intake in the Western diet
The National Institutes of Health say dietary silicon, as soluble orthosilicic acid, may be important for the growth and development of bone and connective tissue, and beer appears to be a major contributor to orthosilicic acid intake.
"Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon," Bamforth said in a statement. "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 findings are published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.
