Wine and chocolate have health benefits — now it seems beer does, too. Now all we have to do is wait for someone to find the redeeming value of fried food.
A Spanish study found that women who down a pint have stronger bones, making them less vulnerable to osteoporosis.
It seems beer’s health benefits are in its high level of silicon, according to the UK’s The Telegraph. Apparently the compound both slows down the bone thinning that leads to fractures while also boosting the birthrate of new bone cells.
Beer is also teeming with phytoestrogens, aka plant versions of estrogen, which bones need to stay healthy.
Researchers interviewed 1,700 healthy women — average age 48 — about their drinking habits. They then scanned the women’s hands with ultrasound, revealing that the beer drinkers had denser bones. Why a scan of hands? Bones in the fingers are among the first in the body to show signs of thinning.
How much beer does the doctor order? In the study, moderate drinkers didn’t fare any better than those in the less-than-a-pint-a-day bracket — so you can cancel that standing keg order (unless, of course, you live in a frat house).
Photo courtesy of a4gpa, via Creative Commons and Flickr
