How Does Alcohol Cause Osteoporosis?
Long-term heavy drinking damages bone health in many ways: • Heavy drinking reduces the body’s production of vitamin D, which is needed for calcium uptake. • Heavy drinking can alter hormone levels, decreasing testosterone in men and estrogen in women. A reduction in either of these hormones is associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis. • Alcoholics often have high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which is harmful to bone health. • Alcohol increases the body’s production of parathyroid hormone, which decreases calcium levels. What’s the Solution? The solution to alcohol-related bone density losses is to stop consuming the substance that is causing the problem. Alcoholics who quit drinking tend to experience increased bone health, and in some cases, lost bone is even re-grown. Other measures that can help include: • Weight-bearing exercise • Quitting smoking (smoking is also harmful to bone health) • Eating well (concentrating on getting sufficient vitamin D and calcium ea
