Feb. 8, 2010 -- Drinking beer may be good for building more than just beer bellies. A new study suggests that drinking beer may help build better bones thanks to its high silicon content.

According to the National Institutes of Health, dietary silicon in the soluble form of orthosilicic acid (OSA) may be important for the growth and development of bone and connective tissue and help reduce the risk of the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis.

Based on those findings, some studies have suggested that moderate beer drinking may help fight osteoporosis, but researchers say the silicon content of beer has never been thoroughly evaluated until now. The results show that beer indeed is a significant source of bone-building silicon in OSA form.

The study analyzed 100 commercially available beers for their silicon content and found the average silicon content ranged from 6.4 to 56.5 milligrams per liter (mg/L).

There is no recommended daily intake for silicon. But researchers say based on the average daily intake of 20-50 milligrams, 2 liters of beer, on average, would be required to satisfy that requirement. In some cases, 1 liter of beer may be enough.