Charlie Bamforth will be the first to tell anyone listening that beer deserves credit as a healthful beverage. Bamforth is one of the lucky few specializing in beer research as chairman of the department of food science and technology at the University of California, Davis.
“There is now abundant evidence for the benefits of moderate beer consumption. Beer is not ‘empty calories.’ It contains B vitamins like folic acid, soluble fiber, antioxidants and it is one of the richest sources of silicon in the diet,” he said. “Because of the last of these, beer helps counter osteoporosis.”
Bamforth goes on to say that beer consumption has also been linked to reduced incidence of kidney stones, diabetes, stomach ulcers and dental cavities.
The one thing he hopes his efforts can change is capturing some of the headlines dominated for so many years by wine. For instance, he's excited by recent research showing that alcohol can be a key component in countering atherosclerosis.
“So beer is just as effective as any wine,” he said.
