foodconsumer.org: Could drinking beer help cut osteoporosis risk?

Could drinking beer help cut osteoporosis risk?
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admin on 02/13/2010 18:06:00
 
A new study published in the Feb 8, 2010 issue of the Journal of the Science of
Food and Agriculture suggests drinking beer may help strengthen your bone and
prevent or even cure your osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is bone disease that affects an estimated 44 million Americans of
whom the majority is women.  It is the leading cause of bone fractures.
T.R. Casey and C.W. Bamforth authors of the study from the University of
California tested 100 commercial beers and found beer to be a rich source of
dietary silicon.  The silicon content in the beer samples ranged from 6.4 to
56.5 mg/L.  Silicon is a major ion in bone-forming cells and helps maintain
bones after their formation.
Looking at the ingredients and the brewing process, the researchers found barley
is a better source for silicon than wheat, so light colored malts contain higher
levels of silicon than their darker counterparts.
The study is not a trial - it means that just because beer contains silicon, it
may not definitely help strengthen a person's bone or help him prevent
osteoporosis.  However, a couple of other previous studies on beers and bone
health suggest a possibility.
One study led by Pedrera-Zamorano JD and colleagues from the University of
Extremadura in Caceres, Spain found female beer drinkers had greater bone
density compared to those who did not drink beer.
The study involved 1697 healthy women at an average age of 48.4 with body mass
index 19.0 to 32.0 kg/m2.  Of the subjects, 710 were premenopausal, 176
peri-menopausal and 811 postmenopausal.
For the study, the participants were surveyed through a questionnaire for their
status on use of cigarettes, alcohol, caffeine, and nutrient consumption and
classified them into three groups based on their alcohol intake: moderate
drinkers, light drinkers and nondrinkers.
Among drinkers, analysis was done to compare the effects of beer and wine on
bone mass.  The bone mass was assessed using phalangeal bone ultrasound.
The quantitative bone ultrasound values were significantly greater in the beer
drinkers compared to the non-beer drinkers or wine-drinkers, according to the
researchers who speculate that the phytoestrogen in beer may contribute the
higher bone mass in the healthy women.
The study was published in the Oct 2009 issue of Nutrition.
Another study led by Tucker K.L. and colleagues from Tufts University in Boston,
Massachusetts found  compared to non-drinkers, men who used one or two drinks
per day of total alcohol or beer had 3.4 to 4.5 percent higher hip bone mass
index.
The authors did not find any association between bone mass index and liquor
consumption indicating that what may be beneficial is not alcohol.  They
speculated that silicon in beer mediates the association.
The study was published in the April 2009 issue of American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition.
Beer would not be the only food that affects bone health if it indeed has
anything to do with bone mass.  In no case should people rush to start a
drinking regimen to fight their bone disease.  Even if it helps, consider this:
alcoholic beverages are carcinogen, according to the U.S. National Toxicology
Program.
The good news is that we may do something else to prevent bone disease.
Rosalie Marion Bliss at the U.S. Agriculture Research Service earlier reported a
study on the agency's website saying that plant foods which are alkali-producing
may help preserve bone and muscle mass.
The study led by Lisa Ceglia and Bess Dawson-Hughes at the Jean Mayer USDA Human
Nutrition Researchers Center on Aging at Tufts University shows those given
potassium salts - minerals found in plant foods - had better levels of a marker
for bone conservation and calcium absorption.
Studies reported early on foodconsumer.org suggest that sufficient vitamin K,
reduced intake of protein and cola, increased intake of vitamin C, and drinking
green tea among other things would help protect bone health and prevent
osteoporosis.
The risk factors for osteoporosis include low sex hormones, anorexia nervosa,
low calcium and vitamin D intake, long term use of medications like
glucocorticoids and some anticonvulsants, inactive lifestyle, and high intake of
alcohol among others.
Osteoporosis treatments include using an adequate diet with a full spectrum of
nutrients particularly calcium and vitamin D, exercise, and medications
including bisphosphonate, raloxifene, calcitonin, teriparatide, estrogen/hormone
therapy.
Reporting by David Liu and editing by Denise Reynolds
Photo courtesy of kiwipedia