Beer May Boost Bone Health
 

Beer May Boost Bone Health

Soluble OSA may be important for the growth and development of bone and connective tissue.

by Robert Goldman MD, PhD

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. As dietary silicon in the form of soluble OSA may be important for the growth and development of bone and connective tissue, beer may be a significant source of dietary silicon.

Charles Bamforth, from the University of California, Davis, and colleagues studied commercial beer production to determine the relationship between beer production methods and the impact of silicon on the body. They examined a variety of raw-material samples and found little change in the silicon content of barley during the malting process. The majority of the silicon in barley is in the husk, which is not affected greatly during malting. The malts with greater silicon content are pale colored and take less heat stress during the malting process. The darker products, such as the chocolate, roasted barley and black malts, all get substantial roasting and have much lower silicon content than other malts, for reasons that are not yet known.

The hops samples analyzed showed surprisingly high silicon content with as much as four times more than is found in malt. Some studies have suggested that moderate beer drinking may help fight osteoporosis. The finding by these researchers that “beer is a very rich source of silicon” takes on a potential importance for preventative health pending further studies into the underlying mechanisms of the bone-boosting properties of beer.
Casey, T.R., et al. (2010). Silicon in beer and brewing. J Sci Food and Agric. In press.

Nutrient Cocktail Maintains Youth

Declining physical movement, known as bradykinesis, is considered a reliable biomarker of aging and risk of death. David Rollo, from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, and colleagues formulated a dietary supplement consisting of ingredients such as vitamins B1, C, D, E, aspirin, beta-carotene, folic acid, garlic, ginger root, ginkgo biloba, ginseng, green-tea extract, magnesium, melatonin, potassium, cod liver oil and flaxseed oil. Multiple ingredients were combined based on their ability to offset five mechanisms involved in aging.

Feeding the formula to old mice by administering bagel bits soaked in the supplement, the team found that the formula maintained youthful locomotor activity into old age, whereas old mice that were not given the supplement showed a 50 percent loss in daily movement. In the latter group the researchers also observed a similar dramatic loss in activity of the mitochondria, the cellular furnaces that make energy, and declines in brain-signaling chemicals relevant to locomotion.

The researchers had this comment: “Results provide proof of principle that complex dietary cocktails can powerfully ameliorate biomarkers of aging and modulate mechanisms considered ultimate goals for aging interventions.”