Wednesday, October 05, 2011
If you are a habitual smoker and/or drinker, then look yourself in the mirror and say "(your full name), your bones deserve better than this." Smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol are two big no-no's if you have or want to prevent osteoporosis. When it comes to tobacco products, everybody hears about...
Hi Dr. Lasich: Thanks for this enlightening article. I believe that many know about the hazards of smoking on bones, but we do get a lot of questions about alcohol, and wanting to know how much is too much. Some researchers tell us one or two alcoholic drinks a day are OK, and some disagree. Could you tell us how much is too much, or if abstaining entirely is the way to go?
I have a friend who is worried about her 1 glass (only) of red wine each evening, is that bad for her bones? She's terrified to eat/drink anything that is dangerous for her health and also exercises almost fanatically. I know a lot of people who fall into this category who are very health and exercise conscious, and refuse to take any meds, or foods/drink that could cause some bone loss.
Thanks for shedding light on this.
Oh yes, so many questions because ultimataly no one wants to give up his/her vise. Amazingly, so many people continue to smoke despite knowing the harmful effects of this habit. When I ask someone who about his/her smoking habit, I often get a response, "Oh, I do not smoke that much". Even if someone were to smoke just one cigarette per day that is 100% more than I smoke, or have ever smoked during my life.
So when it comes to habits, I think we have to think in terms of accumulated exposure. Daily use of alcohol over a 50, 60, or 70 year time frame really does add up. The research is too contraversial or contradicting to give any hard numbers. So we just have to live with a bit of uncertainity.
Doctors think of a smoker's life in terms of "pack year history" to quantify lifetime exposure. For example, one cigarette per day for 30 years is a "2 pack year history". I think that alcohol users should think in terms of glasses (6 oz being a glass). Two glasses per day over 30 years would be a 60 glass year history. (A "glass year" being defined as one glass per day for a year) The numbers can accumulate rapidly and that makes a big difference in terms of lifetime exposure to harmful chemicals.
Those who do drink alcohol need to add up the glasses over the past years and decide when enough is enough. I did.. and I quit drinking alcohol 10 months ago.
Dr. Christina Lasich, MD