Association between alcohol consumption and Korean young women's bone health: a cross sectional study from the 2008 to 2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Abstract

ObjectivesTo assess the association between alcohol consumption and healthy Korean young women bone by Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) scores and drinking consumption; frequency and amount.DesignCross-sectional study composed of three parts: health interview, health examination, nutrition survey.Setting2008–2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.ParticipantsOf the 21 303 participants whose bone mineral density (BMD) was assessed, 1176 healthy women aged 19–30 years were selected.Primary and secondary outcome measuresMean BMD T-scores of the total femur (TF), femur neck (FN) and lumbar spine (LB) by drinking consumption and AUDIT scores, and the odds of having a low BMD (T-score <−1) at the sites by AUDIT scores.ResultsAfter adjustment, lower BMD was found at three sites in those who drank more and had higher AUDIT scores. These associations were significant by AUDIT scores at TF (p=0.002) and FN (p=0.004) and by drinking frequency and amount at FN (p=0.029 and 0.039, respectively). The adjusted OR of having low BMD increased significantly, particularly at FN, in those who had higher AUDIT scores such as 16–17 harmful drinking (OR 4.31; 95% CI 1.16 to 16.06) and 20–40 alcohol dependence (OR 5.99; 95% CI 1.69 to 21.21), compared with young women who scored 0–7 low-risk drinking or abstinence. No beneficial effect of moderate drinking was observed at any of the sites and the association between alcohol consumption and bone health was most evident at FN.ConclusionsIt is crucial to promote the awareness of alcohol harm on Korean young women's bone health. At the same time, since alcohol's effect on the bone is complex with cumulative effects of various factors over the years and there is an absence of studies with young women in their twenties, more studies, in particular for FN, are needed with more precise and appropriate design to confirm our findings.

Bone-Loading Physical Activity and Alcohol Intake but not BMI Affect Areal Bone Mineral Density in Young College-Aged Korean Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…In contrast to our findings, Seo et al [21]. found that both higher-frequency and Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test scores (AUDIT scores, 16-17 considered as harmful drinking) had a negative impact on the aBMD of TH and FN, but not on the lumbar spine, in Korean young women (19 to 30 years of age).…”

“…Unfortunately, most of the previous studies investigating the relationship between alcohol consumption and areal bone mineral density (aBMD) have focused on either middle-aged/older men and/or middle-aged/postmenopausal women [16][17][18][19][20]. Very few studies have examined the relationship between alcohol and bone in young adults [21][22][23].…”

Relationship between bone mineral density and alcohol intake: A nationwide health survey analysis of postmenopausal women

“…In South Korea, a few cross-sectional studies using KNHANES data investigated the effects of alcohol on bone health. [ 26 , 27 ] In a study in healthy adult men, all the relationships between alcohol intake and BMD faded into insignificance after multivariable adjusted analyses. Conversely, in young Korean women, frequent and copious drinking was related to low BMD and osteoporosis, especially in the femoral neck.…”

Habitual Alcohol Consumption and Metabolic Syndrome in Patients with Sleep Disordered Breathing

“…Subscribing to Confucian principles, traditional Korean society has allowed drinking for men, but not for women. As a society has changed, contemporary women drink at a younger age and consume larger amounts of alcohol than their prior generations [ 47 ]. Those young women do not usually take a health checkup examination or polysomnography in Korea.…”