Drinking adversely affects bone health of people living with HIV: Study
Low bone density is common among people living with HIV, even those who have successfully suppressed their viral loads with antiretroviral therapy. A study appearing in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research has confirmed that Drinking weakens bones of people living with HIV.;
For people living with HIV, any level of alcohol consumption is associated with lower levels of a protein involved in bone formation, raising the risk of osteoporosis, according to a new study by researchers from the Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and School of Medicine (BUSM) and published in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.
"We did not find an amount of alcohol consumption that appeared 'safe' for bone metabolism," says study lead author Dr Theresa W. Kim, an assistant professor at BUSM and a faculty member of the Clinical Addiction Research Education (CARE) program at Boston Medical Center.
"As you get older, your ability to maintain adequate bone formation declines," Kim says. "These findings suggest that for people with HIV, alcohol may make this more difficult."
Low bone density is common among people living with HIV, even those who have successfully suppressed their viral loads with antiretroviral therapy.
"Our finding highlights an under-recognized circumstance in which people with HIV infection often find themselves: Their viral load can be well controlled by efficacious, now easier-to-take medications, while other health conditions and risks that commonly co-occur--like substance use and other medical conditions--are less well-addressed," says Dr Richard Saitz, professor of community health sciences at BUSPH and the study's senior author.
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