It may be healthier to cut back on the soda and order another round of beer, recent research suggests.
In a February study in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, titled “Silicon in Beer and Brewing,” food science and technology researchers Charles Bamforth and Troy Casey from the University of California, Davis analyzed 100 commercial beers and measured the silicon content.
Silicon is an important nutrient of good bone health and a key ingredient for increasing bone mineral density, according to the USDA.
The richest sources of silicon are unrefined grains of high fiber content, cereal products and root vegetables. Because it is made from grains, beer is also a dietary source of silicon.
“Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon,” Bamforth said in the journal.
 
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Contact Sarah Eddington at [email protected]