I suppose everything will be... then won't be... good for you - and then they will be good for you later. So, I was not too excited by the news that beer seems to be an excellent source of dietary silicon by contributing to bone mineral density... until I noticed this tid bit:
"We have examined a wide range of beer styles for their silicon content and have also studied the impact of raw materials and the brewing process on the quantities of silicon that enter wort and beer," Bamforth said. Wort is liquid extracted from the mashing process during the brewing of beer. The researchers tested 100 commercial beers and found that their silicon content ranged from 6.4 to 56.5 milligrams per liter. "Beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon," Bamforth said. "Wheat contains less silicon than barley because it is the husk of the barley that is rich in this element.
Bamforth? That's Dr. Charles Bamforth to you, the Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor at U.C. Davis. We are told "endowment is to provide a permanent source of funding for teaching and research in malting and brewing sciences" so it is both reasonable and yet still a little bit cozy, no? I mean has there been a comparison study been done showing the relative merit of soy milk, green tea or sugary orange soda pop as a source of silicon? Could it be that all that beer we are drinking is denying humanity is the opportunity to get more silicon elsewhere? It that what's going on?
Maybe if you worry about your silicon levels, that is. Most really only worry about their ability to just get their hands on good beer. But look again at that quote above: beers containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon. Sounds like a double imperial India pale ale to me. Just what so many beer nerds are looking for anyway. And not exactly what Anheuser-Busch is (or, rather, was) selling. Think on that next time you reach for Old Min-wax or Satan's Own Skull Cracker. You are just exercising your right to silicon enhancement. That's all.