Moderate Alcohol Consumption /stronger bones | Arthritis Information

Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with increased BMD at the femur, a study in a homogeneous population of men with well-defined lifestyle conditions has shown.

“Previous studies on the influence of alcohol intake and smoking on bone mineral density (BMD) in men are inconsistent and the effect of these variables on BMD in physically active men is yet to be explored,” note Ikram Khatkhatay (National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, Mumbai, India) and colleagues.

To investigate, Khatkhatay and team measured the BMD of 379 men (mean age 36.9 years) from the armed forces. These men were chosen because they have a well balanced diet, identical work schedule and highly organized medical services. They also stay in the same environment for at least 2 to 3 years, all of which should minimize the influence of probable confounders.

The participants were classified according to their lifestyle, into alcohol consumers and non-consumers, and smokers and non-smokers, and the researchers measured hormonal parameters by immunoassay.

As reported in the journal Bone, participants with an alcohol intake above 24 g per week had significantly higher BMD at the femur compared with non-alcohol consumers. In contrast, smoking was negatively associated with femoral BMD.

Of note, a significant linear increase in mean femoral BMD over increasing categories of alcohol intake was observed. The BMD of men who consumed less than 24 g of alcohol per week, between 24 and 51 g per week and between 52 and 105 g was 2.3%, 4.4% and 8.1% higher than that of non-consumers, respectively.

Multiple regression analysis revealed that age, body mass index (BMI), alcohol consumption and smoking were independent predictors of femoral BMD, explaining 10.6% variance. At the lumbar spine, age, height and BMI, but not alcohol consumption or smoking, were independent predictors, explaining 9.4% variance in BMD.

Alcohol consumers had lower serum concentrations of testosterone and parathyroid hormone but higher concentrations of estradiol than non-consumers. “This suggests that alcohol use may increase BMD at least partially, through an effect on sex steroid as well calcitropic hormone levels,” Khatkhatay and co-authors conclude.

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