Effect of moderate beer consumption (with and without ethanol) on osteoporosis in early postmenopausal women: Results of a pilot parallel clinical trial

Abstract

IntroductionOsteoporosis is a chronic progressive bone disease characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD) and micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue, leading to an increase in bone fragility and the risk of fractures. A well-known risk factor for bone loss is postmenopausal status. Beer may have a protective effect against osteoporosis associated with its content of silicon, polyphenols, iso-α-acids and ethanol, and its moderate consumption may therefore help to reduce bone loss in postmenopausal women.MethodsAccordingly, a 2-year controlled clinical intervention study was conducted to evaluate if a moderate daily intake of beer with (AB) or without alcohol (NAB) could have beneficial effects on bone tissue. A total of 31 postmenopausal women were assigned to three study groups: 15 were administered AB (330 mL/day) and six, NAB (660 mL/day), whereas, the 10 in the control group refrained from consuming alcohol, NAB, and hop-related products. At baseline and subsequent assessment visits, samples of plasma and urine were taken to analyze biochemical parameters, and data on medical history, diet, and exercise were collected. BMD and the trabecular bone score (TBS) were determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Markers of bone formation (bone alkaline phosphatase [BAP] and N-propeptide of type I collagen [PINP]) and bone resorption (N-telopeptide of type I collagen [NTX] and C-telopeptide of type I collagen [CTX]) were determined annually.ResultsBone formation markers had increased in the AB and NAB groups compared to the control after the 2-year intervention. However, the evolution of BMD and TBS did not differ among the three groups throughout the study period.DiscussionTherefore, according to the findings of this pilot study, moderate beer intake does not seem to have a protective effect against bone loss in early post-menopausal women.

Effect of moderate beer consumption (with and without ethanol) on cardiovascular health in postmenopausal women

“…The eligible participants were 45‑ to 70‐year‐old women with a confirmed menopausal status. Also, as one of the main objectives of the study was to assess the effect of beer consumption on bone health, 19 many of the exclusion criteria were related to this issue. The participants were assigned to an intervention group according to their preference.…”

“…The detailed experimental design can be found in a previous publication. 19 A total of 37 women were selected and agreed to be part of the study, 34 of whom completed the entire intervention. All participants signed informed consent forms, were required to make four assessment visits during the intervention period (at baseline, and at 6, 12, and 24 months) and were later invited to the sensory analysis.…”

“…23 Dietary intake was estimated annually through a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire consisting of 151 items, 24 and as detailed previously. 19 The estimation of micronutrients in the diet was carried out in the same way, and the absolute values of those with a possible influence on CV health were reported. [25][26][27] Furthermore, the overall diet quality was evaluated using the 14-point Mediterranean diet adherence questionnaire as an index of healthy eating at baseline.…”

High-density lipoprotein functionality, cardiovascular health, and patterns of alcohol consumption: new insights and future perspectives

“…Well designed, long- and large-scale randomized controlled trials are needed to prove low-to-moderate alcohol consumption's effect on specific health outcomes (e.g., stroke, myocardial infarction, fatal CVD) in well defined study populations (e.g., age range, sex, gender, ethnicity, social demographic index, genetics, health status, family health antecedents). Given that trials as long as two years have already been conducted [75,76], there seems little justification for the lack of more definitive trials to date.…”

“…In general, consumption of up to 100 g/d of alcohol appears to increase levels of HDL-c and ApoA-I in randomized feeding studies [77,78]. Studies that compare the effects of specific alcoholic beverages with their nonalcoholic counterparts (e.g., nonalcoholic beer, dealcoholized wine) have attributed the increase in HDL-c and ApoA-I to ethanol per se [76,79,80]. However, given the importance of HDL function for CVD risk, more attention to the association of alcohol consumption with HDL activity is needed [17].…”