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Patients show increased bone mineral density after abstinence from alcohol
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Abstinence from alcohol for as little as 8 weeks may reduce an imbalance between bone formation and resorption, while exercise can provide a protective barrier for bone loss, according to researchers from Austria.
While loss of bone mineral density (BMD) often coincides with alcoholism, Peter Malik, MD, from the Medical University Innsbruck in Austria, and colleagues found that patients in an alcohol rehabilitation clinic who abstained from alcohol for at least 8 weeks had increased levels of osteocalcin, which suggests a higher bone formation during that time period.
The results were published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
“There are many reasons why alcoholics may develop reduced BMD: lack of physical activity, liver disease and a suspected direct toxic effect of alcohol on bone-building cells,” Malik stated in a press release. “A reduced BMD carries an increased risk of fractures with all the consequences; osteoporotic fractures also put an enormous financial burden on health care systems due to high rehabilitation costs.”
Malik and colleagues measured low BMD in 15.1% of patients in the lumbar spine, 5.7% of patients in the femoral neck and 1.9% for the total hip, according to the abstract. They also found that patient BMD correlated with higher International Physical Activity Questionnaire, noting an increase in physical activity was indicative of protection from bone loss.
Reference:
Malik P, Gasser RW, Moncayo R, et al. Markers of bone resorption and formation during abstinence in male alcoholic patients. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. Published online before print: Sep 14, 2012. doi:10.1111/j.1530.0277.2012.01834.
