Are teen binge drinkers risking future osteoporosis?
Binge-drinking teenagers may be putting themselves at risk for future osteoporosis and bone fractures, according to researchers at Loyola University Health System. A new Loyola study has found long-lasting disruptions in hundreds of genes involved in bone formation in rats. The study is published in the July-August issue of the journal Alcohol and Alcoholism. “Lifestyle-related damage done to the skeleton during young adulthood may have repercussions lasting decades,” bone biologist John Callaci, PhD, and colleagues wrote. Callaci cautioned that data from animals don’t directly translate to people. “But the findings certainly suggest that this could be a problem with humans,” he added. Bone mass is lost throughout adult life as part of the aging process. Thus, anything that inhibits the build up of bone mass during the critical years of adolescence and young adulthood could increase the risk of osteoporosis and fractures in later life. Binge drinking is defined as a woman having at lea
