Recent research suggests cutting back on soda might be healthier than giving up another round of beer. A February study conducted at the University of California, Davis, discovered silicon found in beer promotes bone health, while a February study at the University of Minnesota found soda intake is correlated with pancreatic cancer. In the beer study, published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, researchers Charles Bamforth and Troy Casey 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 with high fiber content, cereal products and root vegetables. Beer is also a dietary source of silicon because it’s made from grains. “Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon,” Bamforth said in the journal. “Wheat contains less silicon than barley because it is the husk of the barley that is rich in this element.”Pale ales contained the highest silicon content while dark beers, light beers and nonalcoholic beers contained the least.Several students were pleased with the results of the study.”Beer is the nectar of the gods,” said Michael Smith, political science sophomore. “And I knew the gods wouldn’t want to hurt me.”Kevin Green, psychology junior, said he is an avid Abita Beer fan.”I’m partial to Purple Haze, but I don’t have any issues switching to their pale ale,” Green said. “Especially if I can say it’s the doctor’s orders.”Judy Myhand, nutrition instructor, said the Institute of Medicine does not currently consider silicon an official essential nutrient. Silicon appears to have a physiological function, but it hasn’t officially been established yet.The average person’s daily silicon intake is between 20 and 50 milligrams, which a person can get in two or three drinks depending on the type of beer.Certain foods like cabbage and cucumbers also contain the nutrient, but the silicon present in beer is 50 percent bioavailable — half of it can be absorbed and used by the body.But Myhand said she won’t be ordering an extra round any time soon.”There are so many other things you can do to help improve bone health like eat a balanced diet that contains vitamin D and calcium, adequate protein and exercise,” Myhand said. Research has shown beer may also have other health benefits, Myhand said.”There is some indication that people who drink beer moderately have a reduced risk for heart disease,” Myhand said. But research doesn’t show direct causation.”We don’t know exactly why people who can drink moderately have a reduced risk of heart disease,” she said. “It may be that people who can drink moderately do a lot of other things moderately as well.”The key is moderation, she said.”It’s not one of those things where if a little’s good, a lot is better,” she said. “But I guess if you’re going to drink beer anyway, you might consider choosing pale ale.”The soda study, published in the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention Journal, found people who drink as few as two soft drinks a week face almost double the risk of pancreatic cancer.The study’s researchers followed 60,000 men and women in Singapore during a span of 14 years and monitored the subjects’ diets and lifestyles.  People who drank two or more soft drinks per week were 87 percent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer than those who didn’t. Mark Pereira, leader of the study, said high levels of sugar in soft drinks increase insulin produced in the pancreas, which could contribute to cancer cell growth.”Insulin has been shown to promote the growth of most tissues, including cancer cells, so that might be the mechanism if this is cause and effect,” Pereira said.He also said people who drink soft drinks regularly often have other poor health habits.Myhand said it’s important to look at what sodas are replacing in a person’s diet.”Are they drinking two sodas a week but not drinking milk, or are they drinking less water and not eating fruits and vegetables?” Myhand said. “Those kinds of things can definitely have an effect on the results.”Research has also shown increased soda intake is correlated with increased risk of osteoporosis, Myhand said.—-Contact Sarah Eddington at [email protected]