Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol while maintaining a healthy lifestyle can have a positive effect on women’s bones, as it reduces the risk of osteoporosis, according to a study published in the journal Menopause.
On the other hand, a study posted on the British Medical Journal website indicates that women who drink alcohol in moderation are less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.
Moderate drinking is usually considered to be drinking up to 20 grams of alcohol (i.e. two glasses of wine or two small beers) several days a week.
Bone tissue is not a static structure, but is actively transformed and rebuilt throughout its life. It is constantly damaged, and at the same time renewal and repair processes take place – old tissue is replaced by new one. At an earlier age, the synthesis of bone tissue dominates resorption, but with age – in women over 45 – in the process of bone remodeling, its distribution and absorption begin to prevail.
If the rate of bone loss is rapid, osteoporosis develops, a condition in which bones become porous, brittle, and prone to fracture. Osteoporosis takes years to develop without symptoms for a long time, which is why it is referred to as “the silent bone thief”.
This disease particularly affects women – up to 80 percent. patients with osteoporosis are ladies. The risk of the disease increases significantly after the menopause, which is associated with the cessation of ovarian function and the deficiency of estrogens, which keep the bone remodeling processes in balance.
Earlier studies have suggested that women who drink moderate amounts of alcohol have a higher bone density than abstinent women or women who abuse it. However, the mechanism responsible for this was unknown.
Recent research by scientists from Oregon State University (USA) suggests that alcohol in moderate amounts has a similar effect on bones as estrogen, as it maintains the processes of bone remodeling in balance.
The study included 40 women just after the menopause (first menstruation) who had not used hormone replacement therapy and had not had osteoporosis-related fractures in the past. These ladies consumed up to 19 grams of pure alcohol a day (i.e. up to two glasses of wine).
Their bone density was checked and the level of two compounds in the blood was measured, which is an indicator of bone tissue remodeling processes. It was osteocalcin – recovery index, and c-terminal type 1 collagen telopeptide – resorption index. Both compounds were measured at the start of the study, after the women had abstained from alcohol for two weeks, and in the morning after the women had consumed alcohol again.
They found that bone density was greater in women who drank moderate amounts of alcohol. Moreover, during the two-week break, the processes of bone remodeling intensified, as evidenced by the increase in the concentration of both compounds. This phenomenon in middle and old age is considered a risk factor for the development of osteoporosis.
Interestingly, the day after consuming normal amounts of alcohol, bone remodeling returned to its normal baseline levels.
“Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol as part of a healthy lifestyle that includes a good diet and physical activity can be beneficial for bone health, especially in postmenopausal women,” comments the co-author of the work, Prof. Urszula Iwaniec. The researcher emphasizes that her team did not expect to see such a significant effect of alcohol on the bones in less than 24 hours.
Regularly drinking moderate amounts of alcohol, such as a glass of wine or a small beer, can help postmenopausal women maintain healthier bones, along with an overall healthy lifestyle, according to the researchers. Researchers also remind that drugs that inhibit bone loss are not only expensive, but also have many side effects.
“Everyone loses bone as they age, but not everyone develops osteoporosis,” explains study co-author Russel Turner. Therefore, it is very important to identify factors that may affect healthy bones.
The fact that moderate alcohol consumption can have a beneficial effect on health is also proven by studies by Swedish scientists from the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, which covered over 34 people. Swedish women.
The analysis found that women who drank at least three alcoholic beverages a week over a 10-year period had half the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA) than female abstainers.
According to the authors of the study, this can be explained by the fact that alcohol inhibits the reaction of the immune system, and RA is classified as an auto-aggressive disease, i.e. diseases in which the immune system attacks its own tissues, treating them as foreign. (PAP)
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