Alcohol & Bone Health
1/2 A Drink May Help Your Bones
Moderate drinking of alcohol may support bone health, according to a May, 2008 study reported in the American Journal of Medicine.
Participants who had more than half a drink, but no more than one full drink, per day had a 20-percent lower risk of hip fracture than teetotalers.
Moderate amounts of alcohol help bones in two ways: by boosting estrogen, which also increases calcium absorption.
Vitamin D Protects Against Viruses
A new study has found that vitamin D – long associated with good bone health – provides protection against viral respiratory tract infections, reducing their incidence and severity. One example of this type of infection would be influenza.
Researchers followed 198 healthy adults during the fall and winter of 2009 – 2010 and measured each individual’s ongoing blood levels of vitamin D in a seasonal period when these levels tend to fall due to the lack of sunlight. Levels were weighed against the incidence and symptoms of respiratory infections; those with the highest vitamin D levels experienced less illness and significantly reduced days of symptoms. Vitamin D is also known to support the body’s absorption of calcium to prevent osteoporosis, and has been linked to cardiovascular health.
This study was published June 15, 2010 by the open-access journal PLoS ONE and the full-text version is now available at: http://bit.ly/aXsUmY.