Drinking a moderate amount of alcohol may benefit a womans bone health, lowering her risk of developing osteoporosis. Researchers at Oregon State University studied 40 early postmenopausal women who regularly consumed one or two drinks a day, were on no hormone replacement therapy, and had no history of osteoporosis-related fractures. They found evidence of increased bone turnover-which leads to a thinning of the bone structure, a risk factor for osteoporotic fractures-during the two-week period when the participants stopped drinking. Even more surprising, they found that less than a day after the women resumed their normal drinking, their bone turnover rates returned to previous levels. The studys authors concluded that drinking moderately as part of a healthy lifestyle that includes a good diet and exercise may be beneficial for bone health, especially in postmenopausal women.
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