Alcohol and other factors affecting osteoporosis risk in women

Abstract

By about age 35, people reach their peak bone mass. Women lose bone mass slowly after that point until a few years after menopause, when bone mass is lost very rapidly. For middle-aged and older women, healthy bones depend on the development, during younger years, of a strong bone structure and an adequate peak bone mass. There is tenuous evidence that moderate alcohol consumption may protect bone. But human and animal studies clearly indicate that chronic heavy drinking, particularly during adolescence and the young adult years, can dramatically compromise bone quality and may increase osteoporosis risk. Further, research indicates that the effects of heavy alcohol use on bone cannot be reversed, even if alcohol consumption is terminated. Research suggests that in addition to alcohol, other lifestyle factors--such as tobacco use, nutrition, weight-bearing exercise, increased body weight, and hormone replacement therapy--affect bone development and osteoporosis risk in women. However, there has been little examination of how alcohol interacts with these factors to influence bone health.

Figure 1

Normal bone (top) and bone from an alcohol-treated rat (bottom). Note that lighter-colored specules of bone are missing in the bottom image.

Figure 2

Peak bone mass is affected not only by genetic and other biological factors but also by lifestyle variables such as nutrition, exercise, tobacco use, and drinking. In this figure, factors along the steeper line contribute to higher peak bone mass. SOURCE: Amanda Arnold.

Figure 3

Comparison of rat and human ages.