Osteoporosis and Bone Fracture Risks Increase for Young Binge Drinkers

Binge drinking at a young age may be linked to bone disease and fracture later in life, researchers at Loyola University Chicago found.
Osteoporosis and Bone Fracture Risks Increase for Young Binge Drinkers
College students 'toasting' while watching a sports game. (Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images)
7/19/2010
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/51160437.jpg" alt="College students 'toasting' while watching a sports game.   (Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images)" title="College students 'toasting' while watching a sports game.   (Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1817195"/></a>
College students 'toasting' while watching a sports game.   (Marco Di Lauro/Getty Images)
Binge drinking at a young age may be linked to bone disease and fracture later in life, researchers at Loyola University Chicago found.

“Lifestyle-related damage done to the skeleton during young adulthood may have repercussions lasting decades,” bone biologist John Callaci and fellow researchers revealed in the study, published in the June-July issue of the journal of Alcohol and Alcoholism.

Researchers found that the disruptive effects of alcohol on genes involved in bone formation may decrease the buildup of bone mass, which could translate into an increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures in later life.

Researchers examined the effects of binge drinking on rats, injecting them with alcohol and raised their blood alcohol content to a level of 0.28—a driver is legally drunk when his blood alcohol content reaches 0.08.

Rats in the “acute binge” group were injected with alcohol for three consecutive days, while rats in the “chronic binge” group were injected repeatedly for three consecutive days over a period of four weeks. The effects on their bodies were compared to those displayed in rats who were injected with a saline solution.

About 300 genes related to bone mass formation were disrupted in rats exposed to acute binge drinking and 180 of these genes were disrupted in rats exposed to chronic binge drinking.

This, in turn, negatively impacted the formation and maintenance of bone mass in the rats. The negative effects on the genes were “long-lasting,” and were still seen in the rats after 30 days of sobriety.

Thirty days in a rat’s life span is the equivalent of three years in a human life span, according to the release.

The new study may help researchers develop drugs that will combat bone loss in alcohol abusers and those who have an increased risk for osteoporosis for other reasons, according to the release.
“If we understand the mechanism of bone loss, eventually we will be able to figure out how to fix it,” Callaci said.
While the effects of binge drinking in rats may not directly translate into the effects it would have on people, the results of the study “certainly suggest” similar bone-related gene disruptions in humans, Callaci said.