Citation

Cawthon PM, Harrison SL, Barrett-Connor E, Fink HA, Cauley JA, Lewis CE, Orwoll ES, Cummings SR. J. Am. Geriatr. Soc. 2006; 54(11): 1649-1657.

Affiliation

Research Institute, California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, California.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1532-5415.2006.00912.x

PMID

17087690

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association between alcohol intake and problem drinking history and bone mineral density (BMD), falls and fracture risk. DESIGN: Cross-sectional and prospective cohort study. SETTING: Six U.S. clinical centers. PARTICIPANTS: Five thousand nine hundred seventy-four men aged 65 and older. MEASUREMENTS: Alcohol intake and problem drinking histories were ascertained at baseline. Follow-up time was 1 year for falls and a mean of 3.65 years for fractures. RESULTS: Two thousand one hundred twenty-one participants (35.5%) reported limited alcohol intake (<12 drinks/y); 3,156 (52.8%) reported light intake (<14 drinks/wk), and 697 (11.7%) reported moderate to heavy intake (>/=14 drinks/wk) in the year before baseline. One thousand one men (16.8%) had ever had problem drinking. In multivariate models, as alcohol intake increased, so did hip and spine BMD (P for trend <.001). Greater alcohol intake was not associated with greater risk for nonspine or hip fractures. Men with light intake, but not moderate to heavy intake, had a lower risk of two or more incident falls (light intake: relative risk (RR)=0.77, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.65-0.92; moderate to heavy intake: RR=0.83, 95% CI=0.63-1.10) than abstainers. Men with problem drinking had higher femoral neck (+1.3%) and spine BMD (+1.4%), and a higher risk of two or more falls (RR=1.59; 95% CI=1.30-1.94) than those without a history of problem drinking and similar total hip BMD and risk of fracture. CONCLUSION: In older men, recent alcohol intake is associated with higher BMD. Alcohol intake and fracture risk is unclear. Light alcohol intake may decrease the risk of falling, but a history of problem drinking increased fall risk.

Language: en