The silicon content of beer and its bioavailability in healthy volunteers.

Dietary Si, as soluble orthosilicic acid (OSA), may be important for the growth and development of bone and connective tissue. Beer appears to be a major contributor to Si intake, although the Si content of beer and its bioavailability in human subjects have not been well established. Here we investigated the Si content of different beers and then estimated Si absorption from beer in healthy volunteers.

Dietary silicon intake and absorption.

Background: Increasing evidence suggests that silicon is important in bone formation. The main source of silicon for humans is the diet, but the bioavailability of silicon from solid foods is not well understood.

Objective: We estimated the dietary intake of silicon by adults, separately for men and women and for different age groups.