Women who drink moderate amount of alcohol as part of their healthy lifestyle may benefit from them with good bone health, reducing the risk of acquiring osteoporosis, according to north America study. “Moderate” drinking was defined as one-half to two standard drinks a day (8 to 10 grams of alcohol) in the year before the study’s start. In the United States, a standard drink is considered a 12-ounce beer, a 5-ounce glass of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor. The researchers pointed out that many osteoporosis medications may have unwanted side effects, while moderate consumption of alcohol may be part of a healthy lifestyle. Fosamax is used to treat osteoporosis and other bone problems but has eventually leaded to Fosamax lawsuit due to its negative impact on patients.
Researchers looked at the effects of moderate alcohol consumption or “bone turnover” or the replacing of old bones with new ones, in healthy post-menopausal women. After menopause, women’s production of new bone cells slows, but the rate of shedding old cells does not slow as much. This can lead to a porous skeleton that easily fractures. Almost 80 percent of osteoporosis and post-menopausal women are double at risk due to low levels of estrogen, a hormone that helps keep bone remodelling in balance. Preceding studies have shown that moderate drinkers exhibits a higher bone density that non-drinkers or heavy drinker. However, there are no clear explanations as for the differences in bone density. Alcohol acted similar to estrogen in that it lessens bone turnover.
Nonetheless, when women cut out their moderate alcohol drinking, the researchers discovered that the blood showed higher levels of biomarkers linked to bone turnover, a natural process that goes awry when more bone is lost than is replaced, which may potentially lead to osteoporosis. And when women started drinking again, their bone turnover seemed to improved even after one day of moderate alcohol consumption.
But the key is moderation. Too much alcohol can increase the risk for some cancers, high blood pressure, heart problems or liver disorders. Women should have no more than 10 drinks a week, with no more than two drinks on most days. For men, the guidelines suggest no more than 15 drinks a week, with no more than three drinks on most days.