THE INFLUENCE OF ALCOHOL-CONSUMPTION ON THE RISK OF VERTEBRAL DEFORMITY

The influence of alcohol consumption on the risk of osteoporosis is no t well established. The aim of this study was to determine the relatio nship between frequency of alcohol consumption and the risk of vertebr al deformity across different European populations. A population surve y method was used. Men and women aged 50 years and over were recruited from population-based sampling frames in 36 centres from 19 European countries. Subjects were invited to attend by letter of invitation for an interviewer-administered questionnaire and lateral spinal radiogra phs. Vertebral deformity was defined morphometrically using the McClos key-Kanis method. Data from 14 237 individuals were available for this analysis. Alcohol consumption was compared between the 809 men and 88 4 women with vertebral deformity and the 5905 men and 6639 women witho ut vertebral deformity. The frequency of alcohol intake was greater in men than women. Overall, there was no detectable association between frequency of alcohol intake and vertebral deformity in either men or w omen. Stratification by age showed that women 65 years and over who to ok alcohol on more than 5 days per week had a reduced risk of vertebra l deformity compared with those taking alcohol less than once per week . This protection was most obvious after adjusting for age, centre, bo dy mass index, smoking, current level of physical activity and previou s fractures (odds ratio [OR] = 0.65; 95% confidence intervals [CI] = 0 .43, 0.99). There was a smaller and non-significant protective effect amongst men aged 65 years and over and this was most apparent amongst moderately frequent drinkers (1-4 days per week) (OR = 0.81; 95%CI = 0 .62, 1.08). There was no association between the occurrence of vertebr al deformity and frequency of alcohol consumption in younger men and w omen. Overall, the effects of the frequency of alcohol consumption on vertebral deformity were modest. In older women, regular consumption o n more than 5 days per week is associated with a reduced risk. Further , prospective data are required to confirm these findings. It is also necessary to investigate, in terms of amount of alcohol consumed, at w hat level the benefits of regular intake are obviated by the increased risks from alcohol excess.