Wine could help protect older women from thinning bones

London, Aug 3 (IANS) One or two glasses of wine a day could help as much as medicines to protect older women from osteoporosis or thinning of bones, a study has found.

Regular moderate intake of alcohol after menopause helps to maintain bone strength, the Daily Mail reported, citing the study by the International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research.

Experts said that in comparison, abstaining from alcohol leads to a higher risk of developing osteoporosis.

The analysis by US researchers at the University of Oregon looked at 40 healthy post-menopausal women aged around 56.

Thousands of post-menopausal women across the world take drugs called bisphosphonates every day to combat the condition.

According to the study published in the journal Menopause, researchers at the university found that women who drank 19g of alcohol a day - about two small glasses of wine - had a drop in loss of old bone.

Alcohol appears to remedy the imbalance between the dissolving of old bone and poor production of new bone that can lead to osteoporosis in older women.

In comparison, abstaining from alcohol leads to a higher risk of developing osteoporosis, the study said.

Sarah Leyland of the National Osteoporosis Society warned against drinking more to protect bones.

"Moderate amounts of alcohol might be beneficial for bones, but excessive alcohol increases the risk of fractures, as well as increasing the risk of falls," Leyland said.

The daily said around 300,000 fragility fractures occur every year in Britain, and hip fractures lead to 1,150 deaths every month.

Another study from Finland showed women drinking more than three alcoholic drinks a week had significantly higher bone density than abstainers.