Alcohol Abuse Raises Men's Risk of Developing Osteoporosis
By Hugh C. McBride
It’s fairly common knowledge that, among other negative effects, abusing alcohol can be harmful to a person’s liver, heart, and brain. But the excessive intake of alcohol can also inflict significant damage on a person’s bones.
Osteoporosis, a brittle-bone disease that affects about 10 million Americans, is often associated with older women. But the condition can affect both men and women across a broad age range – and studies have shown that alcohol abuse can increase a person’s likelihood of developing this potentially debilitating disorder.
About Osteoporosis
The National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF) defines osteoporosis as “a disease characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to bone fragility and an increased susceptibility to fractures, especially of the hip, spine and wrist, although any bone can be affected.”
The disease is most common among post-menopausal women, though the NOF reports that men account for about 20 percent of the estimated 10 million cases in the United States.
The Cleveland Clinic estimates that as many as 54 percent of post-menopausal white women in the United States are affected by osteopenia (bone density that is lower than normal, but above the level to be classified as osteoporosis), and that 30 percent have the disease itself. The clinic also reports that the disease is responsible for about 1.3 million bone fractures (three quarters of which involve the vertebrae or hips) in the United States each year.
Osteoporosis-related fractures can result from activities as simple as sneezing, lifting a bag of groceries, or bending over to tie one’s shoes. Because the disease progresses painlessly until a fracture occurs, most patients are not diagnosed until their bones begin to break.
The disease often manifests itself in damage to the vertebrae, with effects that can include spinal deformities, a loss of height (due to collapsing vertebrae), the development of a humped back, and chronic pain.
Osteoporosis & Men Who Abuse Alcohol
Though many risk factors for osteoporosis such as age, gender, ethnicity, and family history are beyond a person’s ability to control, other more malleable influences also play a role in increasing or decreasing the likelihood that a person will contract this condition. For example, leading a sedentary lifestyle, smoking cigarettes, and abusing alcohol have all been identified as behaviors that raise one’s odds of suffering from osteoporosis.
The Cleveland Clinic has noted that osteoporosis has been estimated to affect between 30 and 50 percent of alcoholics, and that chronic abuse of alcohol has been associated with decreased density in the bones in the neck and around the spine. In addition to the effects of the alcohol itself, “other nutritional deficiencies associated with chronic alcohol abuse” also play a factor in decreasing bone mass among those who are dependent upon alcohol, the clinic’s website indicates.
It would seem logical that osteoporosis is among the serious health risks facing women who abuse alcohol. But as a Dec. 1, 2008 article by Health Behavior News Service contributing writer Katherine Kahn documents, a recent study indicates that the risk for developing the disease may be highest among young men who drink heavily:
- Researchers measured the bone mineral density of 37 alcoholic men and 20 alcoholic women. The participants – all of whom were inpatients of an alcohol rehabilitation clinic and were not drinking at the time of the examination – were between the ages of 27 and 50.
- Before they entered the rehab program, the men who participated in the study reported having consumed an average of 22 drinks per day. The women said they drank an average of 18 alcoholic drinks per day. A majority of the study participants also smoked.
- Almost 25 percent of the men were discovered to have a bone mineral density that was lower than expected for their age – but among the women, only one person (5 percent of the study group) had a lower than normal bone mineral density.
“It was surprising to me that although the female patients consumed high amounts of alcohol, there seems to be a protective factor present – probably higher estrogen levels – which cannot be fully explained at the moment,” Dr. Peter Malik, lead author of the study (which appeared in the February 2009 edition of the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research), said in Kahn’s article.
Avoiding Osteoporosis
The vast majority of a person’s bone mass is developed by age 18, though some growth continues until about age 30. Thus, the measures that adults can take to avoid osteoporosis are primarily aimed at reducing the loss of mass. The National Research Center for Women and Families offers the following advice for those who wish to minimize the likelihood that they will develop this disorder:
- Eat a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D.
- Participate in weight-bearing exercise such as walking, tennis, dancing, or weight-training.
- Limit the use of alcohol, and don't smoke tobacco.
- Have a bone density test and take medications when appropriate.
For individuals who are struggling with a dependence upon alcohol, limiting the use of the drug may require participating in a 12-Step recovery program, getting professional treatment on an outpatient basis, enrolling in a residential rehabilitation and recovery program, or a combination thereof.
Effective treatment for alcohol abuse or dependence can minimize the likelihood that a person will suffer from a wide range of negative health effects, and can drastically improve both the length and quality of one’s life. Addiction is treatable and recovery is possible, if you reach out and take the first step.
