Just read an article in New Scientist about brittle bones and how drinking beer (in moderation) can promote bone growth and improve bone density. The bets beers for doing this are those with the highest levels of silicon - "...lighter-coloured beers made from pale malted barley and hops, such as pale ales...while low-alcohol beers contain the least, along with stouts, porters and wheat beers".
Now I really can tell the wife that my increase in weight caused by drinking beer is just my becoming bigger boned.
Reference, in case anyone wants to read the whole article, is Bamforth and Casey, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, DOI, 10.1002/JSFA.38840), (University of California).