- ALLERGY, RESPIRATORY
- Air Pollution May Raise Blood Pressure
- Asthmatics Who Quit Smoking May Reverse Lung Damage
- Overweight Moms More Likely to Have Asthmatic Kids
- ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE
- Alternative Treatments May Boost IVF Success
- Grapefruit Compound Inhibits Hepatitis C Virus
- No Verdict Yet on Grape Seed Extract vs. Breast Cancer
- ANIMAL CARE
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- Safe Toys for Dogs
- Animals Respond to Acupuncture's Healing Touch
- BONES & JOINTS
- Heart Failure Raises Risk of Fractures
- Genes May Help Drive Rotator Cuff Injury
- Active Young Women Need Calcium, Vitamin D
- CANCER
- Scams and Shams That Prey on Cancer Patients
- Vitamin D Good for Breast Cancer Patients
- Vitamin C Shows Promise as Cancer Treatment
- CAREGIVING
- What Moms Learned May Be Passed to Offspring
- Falls Are Top Cause of Injury, Death Among Elderly
- Study Casts Doubt on Influential Hospital Safety Survey
- CIRCULATORY SYSTEM
- Migraines in Pregnancy Boost Vascular Risks
- Anemia Rates Down for U.S. Women and Children
- Review Confirms Links Between Diet, Heart Health
- COSMETIC
- Get Sugared!.... Its a sweet choice for hair removal
- What to Do If You Have Unsightly Veins
- Science May Banish Bad Hair Days
- DENTAL, ORAL
- Gum Disease May Reactivate AIDS Virus
- Gum Disease Might Boost Cancer Risk
- Periodontal Disease Impacts Whole Health
- DIABETES
- Red-Grape Compound May Improve Diabetes
- 24 Million Americans Had Diabetes in 2007
- Saliva Test Could Monitor Type 2 Diabetes
- DIET, NUTRITION
- Breakfast Eggs Keep Folks on Diet
- Is Coffee Good or Bad for Your Health?
- Memory Loss Help from Brain Supplement Prevagen
- DISABILITIES
- Review Finds Marijuana May Help MS Patients
- Could Your Cell Phone Help Shield You From Alzheimer's?
- ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
- Population-Based Strategy Urged to Cut U.S. Obesity Rate
- FDA Faulted for Stance on Chemical in Plastics
- Clear Skies Have Become Less So Over Time, Data Show
- EYE CARE, VISION
- Clues Found to Brain Mechanism Behind Migraines
- Eye Problems, Hearing Loss May Be Linked
- Music Can Help Restore Stroke Patients' Sight
- FITNESS
- Walk Long, Slow and Often to Help the Heart
- Early Exercise Boosts Outcomes for ICU Patients
- Bursts of Vigorous Activity Appear to Be a 'Stress-Buffer'
- GASTROINTESTINAL PROBLEMS
- New Guidelines Issued for Management of IBS
- Olive Oil May Protect Against Bowel Disease
- HRT Use Raises Risk of Stomach Trouble
- GENERAL HEALTH
- Go To Work But Skip The Car
- Heavy Alcohol Use Linked to Cancer
- 'Soda Tax' Wins Health Experts' Support
- HEAD & NECK
- Many Children Will Outgrow Headaches
- Ski Helmets Encouraged for All
- Zen May Thicken Brain, Thwart Pain
- HEALTH & TECHNOLOGY
- Study Suggests Link Between Cell Phones and Brain Tumors
- 'Comfort Dogs' Come to Emotional Rescue
- E-Mailing Your Way to Healthier Habits
- HEART & CARDIOVASCULAR
- Western Diet Linked To Heart Disease, Metabolic Syndrome
- Ginkgo Won't Prevent Heart Attack, Stroke in Elderly
- Rheumatoid Arthritis a Threat to the Heart
- INFECTIOUS DISEASE
- Older Adults May Have Some Immunity to Swine Flu
- Grapefruit Compound Inhibits Hepatitis C Virus
- Surgical Masks Could Prevent Flu, Maybe
- KID'S HEALTH
- Coconut Oil May Help Fight Childhood Pneumonia
- Boosting Kids' Stroke IQ May Save Lives
- Green Tea May Help Brain Cope With Sleep Disorders
- MEN'S HEALTH
- Varicose Veins May Mask Larger Problem
- Noise Hurts Men's Hearing More, Study Shows
- More Vitamin C May Mean Less Chance of Gout
- MENTAL HEALTH
- Common Social Groups and Race, Seem to Help People Relate
- Meditation May Boost College Students' Learning
- Have a Goal in Life? You Might Live Longer
- PREGNANCY
- Alternative Treatments May Boost IVF Success
- Sleeping Could Help Women Lose The Baby Fat
- Pre-Pregnancy Weight Linked to Babies' Heart Problems
- SENIORS
- Memory Loss Help from Brain Supplement Prevagen
- Healthy Diet Could Cut Alzheimer's Disease Risk
- Many Cancer Survivors Don't Adopt Healthy Lifestyle
Alcohol Abuse Can Damage Bones
By eHolistic.com Published: 11/06/2008
THURSDAY, Nov. 6 (HealthDay News) -- Alcohol disrupts genes needed to maintain healthy bones, which can lead to a decrease in bone mass and bone strength, a new study says.
In previous research, the study authors, from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago, showed that giving rats large amounts of alcohol caused significant decreases in bone density and bone strength, but the mechanisms responsible for these effects weren't clear.
In this new study, rats were injected with an amount of alcohol equivalent to binge drinking for three days or chronic alcohol abuse for four weeks in humans. When they examined genes responsible for bone health, the researchers found that alcohol affected the amounts of RNA associated with these genes. RNA acts as the template for making proteins, the building blocks of bones and other tissue.
Alcohol increased the amount of RNA associated with some genes and decreased the amount of RNA associated with other genes. These changes in RNA disrupted two molecular pathways -- the Wnt signaling pathway and the Intergrin signaling pathway -- responsible for normal bone metabolism and bone mass maintenance, the researchers said.
The findings, published recently in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, could help in the development of new drugs to minimize bone loss in people who abuse alcohol. Such drugs also might help people at risk for osteoporosis.
"Of course, the best way to prevent alcohol-induced bone loss is to not drink or to drink moderately. But when prevention doesn't work, we need other strategies to limit the damage," study co-author and bone biologist John Callaci, as assistant professor in the department of orthopedic surgery and rehabilitation, said in a Loyola news release.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases has more about bone health.
-- Robert Preidt
SOURCE: Loyola University, news release, Oct. 23, 2008
Last Updated: Nov. 06, 2008
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