ABCNews - For beer drinkers, a new study that suggests beer is a significant source of a mineral key to maintaining bone density may sound too good to be true. Ideal Bite’s Tom Sparks discusses the health benefits of drinking beer. That may well be, say health experts who overwhelmingly agree the the connection may be more wishful thinking than solid science… But that may not stop many brew lovers from viewing the new research as an excuse to order another round. The study of 100 commercial beers in the February issue of the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture by Charles Bamforth and Troy Casey of the University of California Davis examined the silicon content that results from different ingredients and brewing processes. “Silicon impacts bone mineral density in humans, and supplementing silicon in the diets of osteoporitic women increased bone mineral density,” the authors wrote. Thus, they surmise, silicon-rich beer may also help to strengthen bones… In the study, the authors concluded that “beer is a substantial source of silicon in the diet” and that “beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon,” but they did not attempt to establish a link between beer drinking and bone health.

I’ll be honest with you.  This is one of those rare moments when I just sort of skim the content that I copy & paste into a blog.  So I’m not sure what what those disclaimers are about.  All I really read was that beer is super healthy for you.  That it makes your bones strong, your teeth white, your muscles super strong, gives you X-ray heat vision and the power of flight.  Or something like that.  The rest was some disclaimers about the science being uncertain, but who needs to read all that.  The important thing to take from this is that beer is really, really good for you and brainy scientists are recommending you drink lots of it for your health.  I mean, Ben Franklin was a scientist, and as he so eloquently put it, “Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”  And to think, all this time I’ve just been drinking it for the pleasure.