Conversely, in post-menopausal women, alcohol increases the conversion of testosterone into estradiol, a hormone commonly used to prevent bone loss after menopause. For this reason, alcohol consumption may actually have a positive effect on bone density in women after menopause. Alcoholics have been shown to have high levels of cortisol, a corticosteroid. Excessive levels of cortisol have been linked to decreased bone formation and increased bone resorption. Corticosteroids impair calcium absorption which leads to an increase in PTH secretion, which can result in further bone loss.
Bone loss is evident in a large number of individuals that drink heavily.
Alcohol appears to have a direct toxic effect on osteoblasts, suppressing bone formation. Falls and Fractures Due to the effects of alcohol on balance and gait, alcoholics tend to fall more frequently than the general population. Heavy alcohol consumption has been associated with an increased risk of fracture, including hip fracture. An analysis of alcohol use in an arm of the Framingham study concluded that heavy alcohol consumption increased hip fracture risk in both men and women. As expected, older alcoholics are at substantially greater risk of fractures than younger alcoholics.