If you knocked a few back during last night’s Super Bowl (and perhaps after if you’re a Saints fan), the upside to all those calories is that you may have been improving the density of your bones.

According to a new study published in the February issue of the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, published by Wiley-Blackwell, beer is a significant source of dietary silicon, a key ingredient for increasing bone mineral density.

After analyzing 100 commercial beers, researchers from the Department of Food Science & Technology at the University of California, Davis, determined the relationship between beer production methods and the resulting silicon content, concluding that beer is a rich source of dietary silicon.

They discovered that beer, especially pale ales (as opposed to darker beers), contains high levels of silicon known to slow down the bone thinning that leads to fractures and boosting the formation of new bone. The recent finding backs up previous research which also showed that the drink was good at fending off brittle bones – especially in women.

“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,” said Charles Bamforth, lead author of the study.

Now it may not be the same as a glass of milk, and I may have to rethink my penchant for dark ambers, but next time I sip from a cold bottle of another favorite, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, I’ll remember that I’m doing just a touch of good for my health.

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