Spanish researchers, who carried out the study, said that drinking a pint of beer a day can also help you lose weight.

To get maximum benefits from the beverage, they suggested to combine the drink with exercise and a healthy Mediterranean diet high in fish, fruit and vegetables and olive oil.

According to the researchers, beer contains folic acid, vitamins, iron and calcium and has the same health benefits already attributed to moderate wine drinking.

However, binge drinking and taking beer with fatty foods like chips and lack of exercise may lead to beer bellies,they warned.

Lead researcher Dr Ramon Estruch said: “Moderate beer consumption is associated with nutritional and health benefits.”

“It does not necessarily mean weight gain since it has no fat and calorie content is low,” Dr Estruch was quoted as saying by the Telegraph.

He contrasted the culture of drinking small glasses of beer with tapas in Spain to binge drinking in Britain.

He said: “Beer drinkers here do not resemble Britons, who drink large quantities, almost without moving from one spot,while eating chips and sausages.”

The study was carried out jointly by researchers from the Barcelona University, the Hospital Clinic in Barcelona and the Carlos III Institute of Health in Madrid.

For the research, the team led by Dr Estruch and Dr Rosa Lamuela tested 1,249 men and women over 57 years old.

They found that those who regularly drank moderate amounts of beer were less likely to suffer from diabetes and high blood pressure and had a lower body fat content.

Those with a Mediterranean diet who drank up to a pint of beer a day “not only did not put on weight, but in some cases even lost weight.”

Beer provides a “protective effect” on the cardiovascular system and has a relatively low alcohol content compared to other drinks, they concluded.

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Beer is a significant source of silicon, which is a key ingredient of the diet that helps to improve bone mineral density.

The best beers for silicon are the pale malted ales and lagers. Dark bitters and stouts contain lower levels because they are made with roasted barley, which has lower silicon content. Wheat contains less silicon than barley, so wheat beers are poorer sources of silicon.

Previous studies have suggested that a regular pint or two may help to prevent the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis.

In the new study, researchers at the University of California studied 100 commercial beers and found their silicon content ranged from 6.4 milligrams per litre to 56.5 mg/l. Paler beers have more silicon than darker ones because less heat is used in the malting process.

“Beer containing high levels of malted barley and hops are richest in silicon. It is the husk of the barley that is rich in this element. While most remains during brewing, significant quantities are none the less extracted into wort and survive into beer,” the Independent quoted Charles Bamforth, who led the study, as saying.

The study has been published in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

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