The effect of alcohol on the bone growth spurt of rats at a time equivalent to adolescent females

Abstract

The objective of this study is to determine the effect of long-term alcohol consumption on the growth spurt in adolescent rats. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed one of three diets (alcohol, pair-fed or chow) for 3 months. The rats were sacrificed 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks after the feeding began. I-Estomorphometric analyses were performed using a BioQuant Morphometric system on 5um undecalcified longitudinal sections of the proximal tibia. A decrease in the amount of trabecular bone was found in the alcohol fed groups. Few differences were seen in bone formation rate, mineral apposition rate, mineralization lag time and osteoid thickness. Other alcohol-related changes seen were decreased trabecular number and unaltered trabecular thickness. The trabecular bone that remained was widely separated and reduced in thickness. These changes are similar to those observed in osteoporosis. The cause and mechanism of the reduced bone volume after alcohol abuse remains unclear. Alcohol consumption at an early age seems to slow the rate of growth of the bones. The growth rate in the alcohol-fed animals was constant, but much lower than the other animals. There could be a deficiency in a local growth factor or a deficiency in vitamin D or growth hormone. The addition of alcohol abuse to age-related bone loss may be expected to lead to a more severe form of osteoporosis later in life than that found in non-alcoholics.