Fragile bones is one of the adverse consequence of alcoholism and according to new research, young alcoholics are also at higher risk of developing osteoporosis but this effect of alcohol is less intense in women than men.

In a small study of 57 alcoholic, ages of 27 to 50, researchers examine low bone mass than normal in 25% of the men. Only one woman in the group of 20 had deficiency in bone mass.

In case of females, relatively high level of estrogen may protect their bone mass for the time being researchers added. On the contrary, men are unprotected as they have low level of such hormones that is why they showed a high deficit in vitamin D level which is important to deposit calcium on bones.

The findings forced researcher to advise that even young alcoholic should have bone mass and bone metabolism screening.

“It is fact that healthy alcoholics without any known liver disorder, suffer low bone mineral density which cause osteoporosis relatively in early age,” lead researcher Dr. Peter Malik said.

It is an established thought that alcohol makes the bone thin, due to its toxic effects on the cells responsible for the formation of bones. However, other relative facts may work also such as most of the alcoholics have poor diet and lack of physical activity, both factors are known to decrease bone density.

Know researchers are working on this phenomenon, whether bone density will improve if the alcoholics quit drinking, Malik said, as few studies have followed young recovering alcoholics’ bone health over time. He and his colleagues now plan to study that question.