Alcohol intake and bone status in elderly Japanese men: Baseline data from the Fujiwara-kyo Osteoporosis Risk in Men (FORMEN) Study

There are no data concerning a relationship between alcohol and bone status from a large-scale community-based study of elderly Japanese men. The baseline survey for the Fujiwara-kyo Osteoporosis Risk in Men Study was performed in 2174 male participants during the period from 2007 to 2008 in Nara Prefecture, Japan. Among them 1665 fitted the following inclusion criteria: (a) age ≥65 years, (b) no diseases or drug therapy that could affect bone mineral density (BMD). We analyzed 1421 men with complete information about alcohol intake. We found that alcohol intake and BMD were positively correlated after adjustment for age, body mass index, natto intake, milk intake, smoking, physical activity, education, marital status, and hypertension. Adjusted total hip BMD of men with alcohol intake >39 g/day was 0.90 g/cm2 and that of abstainers was 0.85 g/cm2. With regard to bone turnover markers, alcohol intake was inversely associated with serum levels of osteocalcin and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase isoenzyme 5b. A two-piece linear regression model revealed a positive relationship between alcohol intake and crude mean BMD for the total hip in those with alcohol intake of less than 55 g/day. In contrast, alcohol intake and BMD in those with an alcohol intake of 55 g/day or more was inversely correlated. The present large-scale study of elderly Japanese men revealed that although an alcohol intake of < 55 g/day was positively correlated to BMD, alcohol intake of ≥55 g/day was inversely correlated to BMD.