From the Popular Press: What Your Patients are Reading

A recent study suggests that older men and postmenopausal women who drink a glass or two of beer or wine each day may have stronger bones than their peers that abstain from drinking alcohol. Moderate alcohol intake has also been shown to have a positive correlation with lower risk of heart disease, although it may raise the risk for some types of cancer. Researchers emphasize that the key to this benefit is moderation—while men who limited themselves to 1-2 beers a day had the highest bone mineral density (BMD) in the study, men who had more than 2 beers a day had the lowest BMD. Components such as silicon in beer and polyphenols in wine may be behind the bone protection offered by these drinks. Liquor intake did not have a significant positive association with bone health. The association was also not found in premenopausal women. Patients should balance this information with their own medical history, and consider the risks associated with daily alcohol use. The study is more meant as confirmation of a theory than as a directive to adults to drink more alcohol in the name of bone health. 

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