BOSTON—Regular, moderate alcohol intake is associated with greater bone mineral density (BMD), according to a new study from researchers at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University.
An epidemiological study of men and post-menopausal women primarily over age 60 years found associations were strongest for beer and wine and, BMD was significantly lower in men drinking more than two servings of liquor per day. The results suggest that regular moderate consumption of beer or wine may have protective effects on bone, but that heavy drinking may contribute to bone loss.
“We saw stronger associations between higher BMD and beer drinkers, who were mostly men, and wine drinkers, who were mostly women, compared to liquor drinkers,” said Katherine L. Tucker, PhD, corresponding author and director of the Dietary Assessment and Epidemiology Research Program at the USDA HNRCA.
The results were published online Feb. 25 by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.