Don't drink milk, Drink Beer for Strong Bones!!

By Jay Sreekumar

Instead of the daily pint of the white stuff keeping bones healthy, scientists have found that stronger associations can be made between bone mineral density and beer.

However good this news may sound for regular drinkers, don't get too excited because the study also proves that binge-drinking damages bones and makes them weaker.

The research carried out by Professor Katherine L Tucker from Jean of Agriculture Human Nutrition based in Boston U.S.A indicates bone health is affected by ingredients other than alcohol. Unfortunately for some, research also states it should not be consumed just for developing stronger bones.

Dr John David Keel, a GP at Sheffield Hallam University's Medical Centre believes there could be a positive connection between beer and bones strength but this should not be misinterpreted;

"There is a relationship between large numbers of people having strong BMD (bone mineral density) who also drink on a moderate level, which means that the alcohol is not deteriorating bone strength but could be making them slightly stronger"

The same studies say that older women who have a heavy alcohol intake could be associated with an increase in bone density, thereby protecting against fractures caused by osteoporosis.

In the findings, men who consumed one or two drinks a day of total alcohol or beer had a greater bone density at the hip (4.5%) than the non drinkers (3.4%). Postmenopausal women who drank more than two drinks a day of total alcohol or wine had significantly greater bone density at the hip and spine (8.3%) than non-drinkers (5.0%).

Further research suggested Men who drank more than two drinks a day of spirits were associated with significantly lower bone density at the hip (3.0%) than those who drank one to two drinks a day of spirits (5.2%).

Gary Peters (18) is like every other student; he samples the West Street nightlife every Thursday and he sticks to beer not because it builds strong bones but because it's cheap as he stresses there can be no positives effects what so ever;

"I mainly drink beer on night out because it's less expensive than spirit and mixers, but not drinking it to improve the strength of my bones, which is just crazy. If I was weak in that department I would drink more milk."

The research is surprising, which just makes me wonder how long it will be until we can have pints of beer delivered on our door step instead of milk. I wouldn't complain.