Effects of alcohol on bone mineral and mechanical properties of bone in male rats.

The effect of ethanol on bone mineral is poorly understood. In this study we have investigated whether ethanol affects bone mineral content (BMC), bone mineral density (BMD) measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, and the mechanical properties of the tibia and femora in male Sprague-Dawley rats without histopathological signs of liver disease or nutritional deficit. Thirty-five male rats were fed a liquid diet containing 15% ethanol and glucose. An equivalent iso-volumetric amount of glucose-containing liquid was fed to the controls (n = 35). After an initial difference in weight, we found no difference in weight gain from week 1 to week 6. All animals were killed at 6 weeks. We found no evidence of ethanol-induced liver disease in a histopathological evaluation. The BMD and BMC were found to be lower in the ethanol group. No differences between the groups were found in the mechanical properties or in the length and size of the femora. We suggest that alcohol may have a toxic effect on bone in male rats known not to suffer from any histopathological hepatic lesions.