Skip to main content
NCBI home page
The BMJ logoLink to The BMJ
. 1993 Jun 5;306(6891):1506–1509. doi: 10.1136/bmj.306.6891.1506

A prospective study of alcohol consumption and bone mineral density.

T L Holbrook 1, E Barrett-Connor 1
PMCID: PMC1677960  PMID: 8518677

Abstract

OBJECTIVES--To study the effects of alcohol consumption on bone mineral density in a defined population. DESIGN--Prospective study of bone mineral density, measured during 1988-91, in a cohort who had given baseline data on alcohol intake in the previous week and in the previous 24 hours and other factors affecting bone mineral density during 1973-5. SETTING--Rancho Bernardo, California. SUBJECTS--182 men and 267 women aged 45 and over at baseline, half having been randomly selected and half having been chosen for hyperlipidaemia, who gave baseline information on alcohol intake in one week. Of these subjects, 142 men and 220 women gave information on alcohol intake in 24 hours. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Bone mineral density of the radial shaft, ultradistal wrist, femoral neck, and lumbar spine. RESULTS--Men and women were considered separately, and the tertiles of alcohol consumption were used to delineate low, medium, and high values of alcohol intake. With increasing alcohol intake in one week, bone mineral density (adjusted for age, body mass index, smoking, taking exercise, and oestrogen replacement therapy in women) increased significantly in the femoral neck of men (p < 0.01) and the spine of women (p < 0.01). With increasing alcohol intake in 24 hours, adjusted bone mineral density increased significantly in the radial shaft (p < 0.05) and spine (p < 0.001) of women. Similar, but not significant, patterns were seen at the other bone sites. CONCLUSIONS--Social drinking is associated with higher bone mineral density in men and women.

Full text

PDF
1506

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Angus R. M., Sambrook P. N., Pocock N. A., Eisman J. A. Dietary intake and bone mineral density. Bone Miner. 1988 Jul;4(3):265–277. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Barrett-Connor E., Suarez L. A community study of alcohol and other factors associated with the distribution of high density lipoprotein cholesterol in older vs. younger men. Am J Epidemiol. 1982 Jun;115(6):888–893. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113376. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bjørneboe G. E., Bjørneboe A., Johnsen J., Skylv N., Oftebro H., Gautvik K. M., Høiseth A., Mørland J., Drevon C. A. Calcium status and calcium-regulating hormones in alcoholics. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1988 Apr;12(2):229–232. doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1988.tb00185.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cooper C., Barker D. J., Morris J., Briggs R. S. Osteoporosis, falls, and age in fracture of the proximal femur. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1987 Jul 4;295(6589):13–15. doi: 10.1136/bmj.295.6589.13. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Criqui M. H., Barrett-Connor E., Austin M. Differences between respondents and non-respondents in a population-based cardiovascular disease study. Am J Epidemiol. 1978 Nov;108(5):367–372. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a112633. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Gavaler J. S., Love K., Van Thiel D., Farholt S., Gluud C., Monteiro E., Galvao-Teles A., Ortega T. C., Cuervas-Mons V. An international study of the relationship between alcohol consumption and postmenopausal estradiol levels. Alcohol Alcohol Suppl. 1991;1:327–330. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Greenland S. The effect of misclassification in the presence of covariates. Am J Epidemiol. 1980 Oct;112(4):564–569. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a113025. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. HENRY R. J., CHIAMORI N., GOLUB O. J., BERKMAN S. Revised spectrophotometric methods for the determination of glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase, glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, and lactic acid dehydrogenase. Am J Clin Pathol. 1960 Oct;34:381–398. doi: 10.1093/ajcp/34.4_ts.381. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Hall M. L., Heavens J., Cullum I. D., Ell P. J. The range of bone density in normal British women. Br J Radiol. 1990 Apr;63(748):266–269. doi: 10.1259/0007-1285-63-748-266. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Hansen M. A., Overgaard K., Riis B. J., Christiansen C. Potential risk factors for development of postmenopausal osteoporosis--examined over a 12-year period. Osteoporos Int. 1991 Feb;1(2):95–102. doi: 10.1007/BF01880450. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Harding A., Dunlap J., Cook S., Mattalino A., Azar F., O'Brien M., Kester M. Osteoporotic correlates of alcoholism in young males. Orthopedics. 1988 Feb;11(2):279–282. doi: 10.3928/0147-7447-19880201-07. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Israel Y., Orrego H., Holt S., Macdonald D. W., Meema H. E. Identification of alcohol abuse: thoracic fractures on routine chest X-rays as indicators of alcoholism. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1980 Oct;4(4):420–422. doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1980.tb04842.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Johnell O., Kristenson H., Redlund-Johnell I. Lower limb fractures and registration for alcoholism. Scand J Soc Med. 1985;13(3):95–97. doi: 10.1177/140349488501300304. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Johnell O., Nilsson B. E. Bone mineral content in men with fractures of the upper end of the femur. Int Orthop. 1984;7(4):229–231. doi: 10.1007/BF00266832. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Johnson R. D., Davidson S., Saunders J. B., Williams R. Fractures on chest radiography as indicators of alcoholism in patients with liver disease. Br Med J (Clin Res Ed) 1984 Feb 4;288(6414):365–366. doi: 10.1136/bmj.288.6414.365. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Jones B. R., Barrett-Connor E., Criqui M. H., Holdbrook M. J. A community study of calorie and nutrient intake in drinkers and nondrinkers of alcohol. Am J Clin Nutr. 1982 Jan;35(1):135–139. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/35.1.135. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Kristensson H., Lundén A., Nilsson B. E. Fracture incidence and diagnostic roentgen in alcoholics. Acta Orthop Scand. 1980 Apr;51(2):205–207. doi: 10.3109/17453678008990787. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Laitinen K., Välimäki M. Alcohol and bone. Calcif Tissue Int. 1991;49 (Suppl):S70–S73. doi: 10.1007/BF02555094. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Laitinen K., Välimäki M., Lamberg-Allardt C., Kivisaari L., Lalla M., Kärkkäinen M., Ylikahri R. Deranged vitamin D metabolism but normal bone mineral density in Finnish noncirrhotic male alcoholics. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 1990 Aug;14(4):551–556. doi: 10.1111/j.1530-0277.1990.tb01198.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Law M. R., Wald N. J., Meade T. W. Strategies for prevention of osteoporosis and hip fracture. BMJ. 1991 Aug 24;303(6800):453–459. doi: 10.1136/bmj.303.6800.453. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Rico H. Alcohol and bone disease. Alcohol Alcohol. 1990;25(4):345–352. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. SAVILLE P. D. CHANGES IN BONE MASS WITH AGE AND ALCOHOLISM. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 1965 Apr;47:492–499. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Stevenson J. C., Lees B., Devenport M., Cust M. P., Ganger K. F. Determinants of bone density in normal women: risk factors for future osteoporosis? BMJ. 1989 Apr 8;298(6678):924–928. doi: 10.1136/bmj.298.6678.924. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from BMJ : British Medical Journal are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES