Friday, March 20, 2009

got beer?

In a major blow to dairy farmers across the country, and to the "got milk?" advertising campaign, Dr. Katherine Tucker of Tufts University announced that drinking a glass or two of beer (or wine) may build bone density. You need three glasses of milk to get the same effect.

In the Reuters article, Dr. Tucker said "the effect of alcohol on bone mineral density (BMD) that she and her colleagues saw was "larger than what we see for any single nutrient, even for calcium. It's not ambiguous. It's very clear."

According to the "got milk?" Web site "Drinking three glasses of milk a day may significantly reduce your risk of bone disease and fractures. Consuming milk later in life may slow the rate of bone loss and help maintain bone density."

One or two glasses of beer. Three glasses of milk. You do the math.

What did Dr. Tucker's study say about drinking more than 1-2 glasses of beer (or wine) daily? Go read the study.